A Good Flower Takes Time to Bloom
by aznanime-eyes
Summary: Sakura-centered. Takes place in recent chapters of the manga. It's better than it sounds. [SasuSaku and possible SakuNeji]
1. Default Chapter

**A Good Flower takes time to Bloom**

**Summary:** Bad with summaries. Read it. It's not as cheesy as it sounds. Sakura-centered. SasuSaku, possible SakuNeji

**Note**: This story takes place after Shikamaru's team comes back from their failed mission of retrieving Sasuke.

-

A pink-haired Kunoichi found herself standing blankly in front of two large wooden double doors. She breathed in a forced pattern, hoping to make her heart slow down from its anxiety. After several minutes of uncertainty and hesitation, she finally summoned enough courage to knock. Three taps would be enough.

Instantly a female's voice responded on the other side of the doors.

"Come in."

Sakura instinctively reached for the brass handles and pulled it open. The door was much lighter than she had anticipated. Within seconds, she was inside the large room, peering at the green walls and dark furniture. Directly in front of her was the fifth Hokage seated behind a grand wooden desk. Godaime Tsunade.

"Haruno Sakura, am I correct?" the Hokage asked with a deep voice of authority. Sakura bowed respectfully.

"Hai."

Tsunade took a brush, scribbled something quickly on a scroll before blowing on the wet ink and rolling it up.

"What can I do for you?"

Sakura's eyes were still cast on the floor although her body had straightened from the bow. Even though the Hokage was a woman, she still felt immensely intimidated by her deep voice, fierce appearance, and oversized breasts.

"A-ano… I have a favour to ask of you." She managed to spit out. Tsunade was intrigued.

"Oh?" she breathed, already familiar with what the young ninja's request was. The two females were strangely alike in many ways. "What is it?"

Sakura fiddled with her dress before shutting her eyes and dropping lower, to a more surrendering bow. Keeping her eyes closed, she pleaded with unyielding determination.

"Please! Make me your apprentice!" she spoke quickly.

Her request was more straightforward than Tsunade had expected. The Hokage smiled. _The girl doesn't beat around the bush, _she thought. _I like that._ She collectively drew her hands together, fingers interlocking one another, elbows on the table, and chin resting above her hands.

"I've heard a great deal about you, Haruno Sakura."

Sakura was surprised and a tad flattered, but refused to let it show, keeping her bowed stance.

"You were the top of your graduating class in academy years. You have excellent genjutsu skills and even greater chakra control." Sakura's ego was inflated. "But you were regarded as weak during the chuunin exams, am I not mistaken?" Her confidence deflated with the comment as she maintained her silence. "Tell me, why should I teach you anything?"

Sakura paused a moment. Her mind instantly flashed back to her teammate in the Konoha hospital and the sadness in his ocean blue eyes of his disappointment in being unable to keep his promise. Her mind wandered to her rejection of being allowed to join Shikamaru's team in retrieving Sasuke, and her shock to find out that he had not returned. Sakura looked at her team from a distance; Naruto and Sasuke. Both were excellent fighters and brilliant ninjas. They had excelled farther than she had and all she was considered was a dead weight to them. Now, when both of them needed her the most, she was unable to provide the aid because she was… weak. Sakura wanted to become stronger for the two of them, and also herself. She wanted to prove her status as a ninja and delete the title of a weak kunoichi that everyone already had of her. She wanted so desperately to become the opposite of her current title.

Sakura opened her eyes and looked straight at the fifth Hokage. Tsunade widened her eyes in surprise to see the piercing emerald eyes glazed with threatening tears. That response was enough to convince Tsunade. The two female ninjas came from the same place. They both wanted to prove themselves, as well as help their friends.

Tsunade closed her eyes and grinned. _She has the same determination as I do. I have no doubt she will be great in the future. _Opening her eyes, she moved to a blank scroll, dipped her brush in ink and began to gracefully paint strokes.

"Sakura. You have the needed ability and intelligence of a potential medical ninja. But even greater, you have a will that will not give up. Kakashi-sensei has already informed me of your abilities and he too has faith in you. I will forewarn you that my training tactics are not light and are far from easy. Do you accept the challenges of becoming my apprentice?"

Sakura was far from uncertain.

"I do." She spoke confidently. Tsunade smiled with this response, unsurprised, however at it. She did not mean to frighten the girl or intimate her for that matter, but she had great faith in her.

Tsunade finished the last stroke.

"Very well. We begin tomorrow, 5 am sharp. And I will not go so easy on you." She instructed. Inwardly, Sakura flinched, but accepted the challenge.

"Hai." She simply said, bowing.

And she would no longer be the same ninja she was before.

**Author's note: **Yeah, this is just the intro, so it's not really interesting yet. The story will surface soon enough. Please be patient. I tried to keep the characters' dialogue as real as possible because I hate it when authors write a quote that would not normally come out of a certain character's mouth. Anyway, second chapter coming up soon! Please Review!


	2. Old Chums

**Chapter 2**

_Old chums_

Two years after.

Naruto strode along a dirt path with the familiarity of his surroundings captivating him. Konoha village. He had not set foot on those roads since two years prior, before he had gone to train with his perverted sensei. Some places had changed, and a few new buildings had been built that were not there when he left, but the overall peacefulness of his home village was still there. And it was sunny as ever.

Naruto trudged happily past places he had so many memories of. Earlier that day he had met up with his old teacher Kakashi and his former teammate, Sakura. Naruto paused a while as he remembered their reunion. Although he had left her with two enormous bumps on his head, the meeting was more than pleasant. How he'd missed his pink-haired comrade. Naruto chuckled remembering how angry she was when he insulted her by disregarding her physical maturity. Deep down, he knew she had changed.

His Sakura still had her pink locks, emerald eyes and porcelain skin, only this time she was a woman. Not that Naruto had picked up any perverted habits from Jiraiya or anything, but it was difficult to brush off Sakura's great attractiveness and grace, now that she was 16, shed of her childishness and baby fat. It surprised Naruto that she was quite shorter than him, and still with cropped hair. She had told him that she preferred it that way because it didn't come in her eyes while she fought.

That thought led to his memory of their exercise with Kakashi and the two bells. It was amusing because they had finally proven to their sensei that they had matured greatly in strength. Sakura had especially shown that when she slammed her fist and shattered the whole upper hemisphere. Her vast improvement shocked both their sensei and him. Two years prior, Sakura had been regarded not quite as greatly as himself and the Uchiha. But her apprenticeship with the fifth Hokage soon surfaced itself and impressed the two men. Naruto was greatly proud of his teammate.

"EH? Naruto!" a shrill high-pitched voice called. Naruto spun around to see who had been the caller. A blond-haired, blue-eyed girl came walking towards him with her long ponytail swooshing back and forth behind her. She walked beside a large man with swirls on his cheeks. Naruto's face lit up.

"Well, if it isn't Ino and Chouji! How are you guys doing?" he asked with great enthusiasm. Ino grinned.

"We were just about to ask you the same question. Wow. Two years did a lot for your height." She complimented. Naruto flicked his nose in a cocky way.

"Yeah, I know. I'm gorgeous, aren't I?"

Both ninjas snorted in laughter.

"And humble." They retorted.

Naruto chuckled.

"So," he started, "Are you guys on a date?" he teased. Ino immediately shot up her defensive barrier.

"We were just getting something to eat!" she snapped. Chouji rubbed his belly.

"Wanna join us? It's Ino's treat!"

That earned him a smack on his back.

"I said I'd only pay for the first plate of meat. You pay for anything else after that." Ino clarified. Chouji chuckled and waved a dismissive hand.

"Hai hai. I was just joking. So what about it, Naruto? Wanna try some Korean b.b.q? Today's special is half priced!"

Naruto thought for a minute. He had nothing else to do and he had the rest of the afternoon off. He instantly took the offer. It would be great to catch up on where they had left off.

"So, is Ino still paying for me?" he teased. That cost him a bump on the head.

"No way, baka. Pay for yourself." She smiled.

Naruto grinned his boyish fox grin. A meeting with Kakashi-sensai, a teamwork exercise with Sakura-chan, and a meal with old chums. He couldn't think of how this day could get any better.

**Author's note: **Ok, this was a boring chapter, but I really needed to explain what happened without going into any details of what happened in the manga. Plus I wanted to show Naruto's view on how Sakura grew. Don't worry. The next chapter will be better. And once the story gets rolling it'll be cooler. Please don't ditch. Keep reading. I will try not to disappoint you.


	3. Resurfaced Mission

**Resurfaced Mission**

"Ja mata!" Naruto waved. "And thanks for the meal!" The two ninjas returned the wave and went back into the restaurant to resume their conversation.

Naruto rubbed his stomach. That was a good five plates he ate. He couldn't remember the last time he ate so well. During his training days, Jiraiya would give him only one plate and no dessert. Back when he was 12, he thought that it was the 'unfairest' thing in the world, but now he knew his perverted sensei had been right. It was definitely harder to move around on a full stomach, much more to _fight_ with one.

Naruto peered around at the familiar shops and houses in the village. So many things had changed. He did not remember anyone at the shops or restaurants, yet they all seemed to know who he was. They all greeted him with a smile and he greatly appreciated that. It was a change from the reactions he got as a young boy.

Just then, he heard a woman's voice pleading for someone to return.

"Tsunade-sama, please! You've had five shots already. Go back to the office to finish your paper-work." A woman with black hair yelled. Naruto glanced in the direction she was calling. There, he saw a dismissive woman with blond pigtails and large breasts walking away from the other woman. Naruto chuckled at how some people just never changed.

"Oi! Baa-chan! Long time no see!" he called out. If he were just any Joe Shmoe, the fifth Hokage would have chopped him up and made him into sushi for his rude reference to her. Luckily for Naruto, he wasn't just any Joe Shmoe.

"Eh! Naruto! You're back already?" she called back. "Shizune, I'll catch up with you later. I have to speak with the future Hokage."

Naruto couldn't help but feel inflated after that remark.

Shizune shrugged and sighed a defeated sigh as the two walked away together. Tsunade's pig was left behind and crawled itself into Shizune's arms.

"Ahh… Ton Ton. She'll never get her work done now…"

Tsunade and Naruto walked side-by-side towards Konoha Hospital, where the medical Hokage was needed for some recovery inspections. They had exchanged recent news with each other and even reminisced old memories.

After a moment of silence, Naruto asked about Sakura.

"What about her?" Tsunade asked with a smirk plastered on her face. Nothing escaped her keen observations. She had noticed his attraction towards her apprentice and was surprised that he had even a heart for romance. Naruto looked away as a pink hue spread across his face. Despite his physical maturity, he was still an amateur with girls and immature with asking ABOUT girls.

"Nothing really. She just…um…improved a lot. She was never like that when Sas-" the boy trailed off. Saying the Uchiha's name seemed like an unforgivable, forbidden secret that no one was allowed to speak of.

Tsunade could sense his change of tone.

"It's alright." She said. "You can say it."

Naruto shook his head and decided not to coast that direction of the conversation. He decided to stick with the topic of Sakura.

"So, you taught Sakura all those moves. Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and Ninjustu. It was quite impressive. Even Kakashi-sensei said so." He informed. "I'd like so see how she is with medical jutsu."

Tsunade shrugged.

"Well, you can see it now. She's working a shift at the Hospital with the injured ninjas that just came back from missions. Normally, I wouldn't allow any visitors, but I think today's an exception." She winked. Naruto gleamed.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'll take you to her division now if you like." Tsunade offered as they neared the entrance doors of the Hospital. Naruto smiled. _This would be interesting._

Sakura placed a reassuring hand on one of her male patients' bare shoulder.

"Ok, now ease the muscle. I need you to relax. My jutsu won't work if you are too tense." She cooed in her soft voice. The young man's torso eased at her instruction. She ran her slender fingers across his built chest and could feel his muscles flex as she did this motion. Inwardly, she rolled her eyes. _Damn men and their stupid hormones._ She muttered in her mind. Sakura hated it when she worked in the male section. Almost every male shinobi patient she dealt with was young and quite cocky. Having a female nurse feel them up only added to their ego. Every time she had that shift, she'd get picked up with the worst lines, whistled at by the rudest guys, and even slapped on the rear end a couple of times. Those guys would usually end up in the Hospital longer than prescribed and she would get her taijutsu training dose for the day.

Sakura lifted her hand from his chest and could sense his disappointment. She sighed before forming quick hand seals. _Ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon. _She ended the combo with the tiger seal. Her hands began to radiate green chakra as she moved them towards his chest, where the torn tissue and muscle were located.

"This might hurt a bit." She forewarned. The shinobi gave her a warm smile with a twinkle in his eye.

"I'm sure I'll be fine."

Sakura glared up at the ceiling, inwardly cursing Tsunade for teaching her this technique. With gritted teeth, she moved behind him and placed her arms around him to form a seal around the damaged area. She could feel his perverted smile widen at their 'embrace'.

"Ready?" she forced a venomous question through her teeth. The man placed a hand on hers.

"Baby, I'm ready when you are."

With precise chakra control, Sakura released a dose of exactly two liters of pure chakra, forcing it into his chest a little harsher than it was supposed to. But she did that purposefully. Sakura grinned in satisfaction as he groaned in pain at the unexpected shock of the dose. He immediately released his hand from hers.

She laid him down on the bed and placed the sheets over him.

"Now, you'll feel a little drowsy, but it's all normal." She said, forcing every laughing urge to stay hidden until she left the room. Within seconds, the shinobi was knocked out cold into slumber.

Sakura shook off the tingling feeling in her hands and picked up her charts.

"Yamazaki Takai tissue repair, check." She smiled slyly, ticking off the box on her charts, right next to his name.

"You went easy on this one, Sakura. It's not like you." A voice chuckled behind the curtains, nearly scaring Sakura to death. She pushed the curtains away and was met with the faces of her sensei as well as her former blond teammate.

"Tsunade-sama! Naruto! What are you doing here?" she asked with a little fear in her voice at the unexpected surprise. Naruto winked.

"Sakura-chan is very popular with the male population." He giggled as if he were an immature two year old hearing the word "fart" and "booger". Sakura instinctively bonked him on the head, which instantly shut him up. She glared at the Hokage when she began to laugh.

"Tsunade-sama! Why do you keep placing me on these shifts when you know that these men are nothing more than sex-hungry perverts!" she demanded. Tsunade was still laughing in amusement.

"Not true, Sakura. They're not all perverts. They just want to be around a beautiful nurse like you. You have many requests in almost all the divisions of the Hospital, Sakura. You should feel flattered." She complimented.

"Yeah, instead, I feel like a waitress at a strip club…" she muttered. "Anyway. Why are you here, Naruto? Shouldn't you be out buying as many bowls of ramen as you can?"

Naruto patted his belly and shook his head.

"Already ate with Ino and Chouji. Plus I wanted to see the prettiest nurse in Konoha in action. Could you possibly do a check up on me?" he winked, unzipping his jacket.

Bonk.

Naruto found himself on the floor.

Tsunade's roared some more.

"He's only joking, Sakura. Take it easy. I'll tell you what. Your next patient check-up will be your last for the day and you can spend the rest of the day training in the stadium. I just need to have a couple of words with Naruto and his team about an upcoming mission."

Sakura's ears perked at her teacher's words.

"What mission?" she asked with wide eyes, as if a dog ready to be given his treat for sitting. She had been itching for a mission assignment for weeks but Tsunade gave her no opportunities, believing that she was better off in the Hospital. Tsunade's smile evaporated into seriousness as she cleared her throat, attempting to change the subject.

"Uh, nevermind." She stuttered. "Now about your training-"

"What team? Naruto will be leaving the village with a team? How important is the mission?" she continued, disregarding the Hokage's dismissive tone.

"Nothing. It's classified information. Now-"

"Naruto just came back and he's already assigned for something! I've been here all this time and I haven't gotten a single decent mission request yet!" Sakura exclaimed, now raising her voice to an angry tone. Naruto kept quiet at their growing argument. Since when was Sakura so excited about going on a mission? Back when they were in team seven, Sakura never spoke of wanting more missions. In fact, she had been the one hesitant to go each time. The only thing that made her go was the fact that Sasuke would be going on the trip as well. Other than that, Sakura hated missions. Well, at least that's what he thought.

"Why does Naruto get to have a team? I thought that all the jounins and most of the chuunins were away at country of Sand? How come I can't be part of his team? I've worked with Naruto before!" Sakura was now enraged but Tsunade kept her collected self.

"This is between Naruto and m-"

"Is it about Sasuke?" she bluntly asked as she lowered her eyebrows. Her hands had now formed into fists as a burning desperation ignited in her eyes. Tsunade slammed her hand down on a wall and it instantly crumbled to pieces.

"This does not concern you!" her voice echoed through the silent hospital halls. All eyes were on them now. Sakura looked down in both anger and shame at raising her voice at her own teacher and Hokage. Tsunade tried to clear her throat to calm herself down but there was nothing there to clear.

"Now, you will go to the stadium, and you will give me 500 pushups, 600 crunches, and 1000 laps. Report back to my office by sunset with what you can accomplish." She coldly walked away beckoning Naruto to join.

After a few minutes, Sakura was left alone glaring at the ground.

"Kuso." She spat under her breath. This _was_ about Sasuke. They were ready to resume the mission they could not complete two years ago and they were not including her! Damn them! She had worked so hard for it! She even promised Naruto that the next time, they would do it together. Why didn't Tsunade pick her? She was more than ready for it. Besides, Sasuke was her teammate. If anything, she should've been the FIRST one they picked. She was, after all, a medical ninja. Did they still think so little of her?

Sakura bit her bottom lip, which she noticed was quivering. She looked up and gritted her teeth, plotting what she would do next. She took her charts and placed them under her arms before walking away in a straight posture.

Haruno Sakura would not be so easily dismissed.

**Author's note: **Still, this is the beginning, so not much excitement is happening. Nor is there any romance. But I'm still finishing my other two chapters. I have the ideas, the problem is that I can't get them on paper quick enough and I tend to forget them. So, I kindly ask for your patience in reading further. I really think that my version of their ending would be quite interesting. So please, stick with me till the end. And don't be afraid to review. I'd really like that. Thanks!


	4. RequestDenied

**Request- Denied**

Naruto childishly twiddled his thumbs together as he walked beside the silent but deadly Hokage. Don't get him wrong or anything, he was as fearless as fearless could get. But crossing with Tsunade when she was super pissed? Now, _that_ was just stupidity.

Through the corners of his eyes, he could see that she was attempting to cool off her temper by breathing through her nose in deep inhales, but it was having little effect on her boiling blood. He had so many questions to ask her about the mission, but knowing that she wasn't in a patient mood, he decided that it was best to save his life by keeping quiet.

Naruto struggled to keep up with her speedy walking pace without falling over. He could run a marathon race for three days straight without getting tired, but the simple task of staying side-by-side with the baa-chan while she power-walked-THAT, was a work-out. The fifth Hokage stomped as if it were nothing, as her eyes remained shut. For the short walk to her office, the both maintained their quietude.

When they had reached her familiar double doors to her office, she placed her hand on the brass handles and pushed open. Naruto squinted as the light flooded into his ocean eyes.

When he had adjusted to the light, he could see a figure sitting casually on the couch beside Tsunade's desk. The boy turned around at the commotion.

"Oi! Shikamaru!" Naruto exclaimed in excitement to see his old friend and commander. Shikamaru smiled and he altered his green vest collar.

"Well, if it isn't Uzumaki Naruto. It's good to see you again." He said through the toothpick jammed in his mouth. It was obvious that he hadn't changed much either. Naruto quickly forgot his awkwardness with the angry Hokage and ran to poke Shikamaru's vest.

"HO! You're a jounin already? You're the same as Iruka-sensei now!" he chuckled with pride for his friend. Shikamaru pointed to the wall behind the opened doors.

"I'm not the only one." He mused. Naruto glanced at the direction he was pointing and discovered a tall, muscular man standing there with his arms crossed and eyes closed. The man had long chestnut brown hair tied into a braid, and wore a green jounin vest over his black and red ninja outfit. On his forehead was the Honoha crest head protector. When he opened his eyes, there were no pupils, but instead, piercing hazy purple. There was no mistaking it.

"Hyuunga Neji." Naruto breathed in amazement at how much he had grown. Neji walked over to Naruto to shake his hand, and Naruto felt like he was instantly shrinking. Neji had gotten a lot taller over the years and more muscular than he remembered. He still carried that cold demeanor, but it was more of a solemn look than an arrogant one. He too, did not change much.

"Uzumaki Naruto. Welcome back." He simply said with a nod and firm handshake. He turned to Tsunade. "We're wasting time. We should start now."

Tsunade nodded and led them over to the circle of couches that were set around a small glass coffee table. Naruto inwardly laughed at Neji's straightforwardness. Other than people who got in his way, Neji's biggest pet peeve was wasting time. And he would let it be known bluntly to anyone when they were wasting his time, including the Hokage.

They all took their seats and exhaled. Tsunade picked up the folder that was placed faced down on the coffee table.

"As you all may be aware," she began, "We have decided to resume the failed mission to the village of Sound, unaccomplished two years ago." This was no surprise to the three shinobis. They had figured out that much when they saw each other.

They kept listening.

"We had been given the two years to advance our ninjas, but we cannot forget that they also had two years to become stronger as well. We will expect this mission to be much more life threatening than the one prior, I guarantee you." She continued, shuffling through the document papers. "You three, I have selected as the leaders. Shikamaru, of course, will call the shots and be in charge of strategy, but I trust that you three work together to lead the team. I can permit only three more shinobis to accompany you, but no more. We need to build up our defenses after you have gone.

"Sasuke, as we speak, is being prepared physically and mentally for the body transfer of Orochimaru." The boys flinched at this. "He is much stronger than any of you can imagine. Do NOT, by any circumstances, underestimate him. He may have been from Konoha, but he will betray you and kill you without hesitation if given the chance. You cannot, WILL NOT give him the chance. Understand?"

They all nodded.

Tsunade wiped the perspiration from her brow. Thinking about the mission had made her quite nervous and terribly afraid for the boys, but she knew as a Hokage that what must be done, must be done.

"Your mission is to get Sasuke and bring him back ALIVE by any means. You may bring him at the brink of extinction for all I care, just bring him back with breath. I will take care of the rest. I have an idea that might put an end to Orochimaru." She instructed. Naruto couldn't help but blurt out his curiousity.

"But what will you do to him?" he asked. Neji crossed his arms in quick annoyance as Tsunade kept her eyes on the documents, pretending to read.

"Like you, Naruto, I've also been developing new techniques. But just trust that to me. Your only concern is to come back from this mission alive." She said, closing the folder and placing it back down on the coffee table. She got up and flattened out her wrinkled shirt. Walking over to her desk, she pulled out a series of manila folders and slapped them down on the coffee table in front of the boys. "Here are the profiles of ninjas eligible to assist you on this mission. Once your have your team assembled, you may leave right away."

The boys immediately began rummaging through the files to select the candidates. Before Tsunade had gone through the door, she overheard Naruto's voice.

"I wonder if Sakura-chan's profile is in here…" he contemplated. Tsunade froze, back facing the boys.

"Haruno is not permitted to assist you on this mission. You will follow my orders carefully to make sure that she does not insist on pursuing you." She barked fiercely.

As the door closed indicating her departing presence, the shinobis stared at each other blankly, unsure of why the Hokage specified such a ninja to be denied. Especially, since Naruto had witnessed the opposition of Sakura. The blond pursed his lips. There was something the Hokage was not explaining…

Naruto's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden exclamation of Shikamaru, upon finding a suitable ninja's profile.

"Chouji! I thought he was out doing a mission at Sound!" he said picking up the folder and placing it in a new pile. "He's my pick. How about you guys? Found anyone yet?"

Neji kept his arms crossed and scanned the table with his Byaakugan. When he came across a folder, he blinked his special eyes away, and picked up the document. After a moment of reading the profile, he deposited it on the pile Shikamaru made.

Neji returned to his crossed-arms position.

"Kiba and Akamaru worked with us last time, so they'd know how the strings pull." He said in a deep voice. Shikamaru nodded.

"Good choice." He said and then turned to Naruto. "Found one yet?"

Naruto took a while to leaf through the biographies before stopping at a particular one, in which he examined for a while. After reading to the second page, he smiled, closed the folder and added it to their pile.

"Fuzzy eyebrows will owe me big." He chuckled, crossing his arms like Neji. Shikamaru nodded and made a move to get up, tucking the folders under his arm.

"Chouji, Kiba, and Lee, it is." He decided as the two other shinobi followed him out the door to prepare. "The old team, reunited. This should be fun."

-

Sakura flinched as a burning sensation bit her knuckles upon the impact between them and a stone pillar. 2_89, 290… _she counted, alternating fists each count. Sweat trickled down her temples as she panted in correspondence to every punch.

She dropped to her rear upon reaching the 300th count. Letting herself catch her breath, she opened and closed her fists, stretching out her bloody knuckles. Sakura glanced at the orange sky and sighed.

"I think that's enough for today."

The kunoichi had unsurprisingly accomplished all she was assigned to do by the fifth Hokage. All 500 push-ups, 600 crunches, and 1000 laps around the stadium. She even had time to practice a couple of hundred punches, squats, and high kicks. Her muscles ached with the strain she had put on them, but it did not bother her. Not as much as the unfair denial Tsunade had replied to her request.

Sakura slowly removed her gloves to reveal sweaty and calloused hands, oozing with fresh blood and puss.

"Great…" she muttered. Wincing, she formed three hand seals. _Dog, monkey, rat. _She inwardly recited. Chakra began to engulf her wounded hands. Within seconds, the cuts, bruises, and blisters vanished, leaving nothing but dried blood.

Sakura half smiled. Regenerative technique. It was one of the first things she learned as Tsunade's apprentice, and it was one of the most useful. Although it was a primitive technique in her case, it was extremely difficult to succeed for even someone as great as Kakashi-sensei. It was because she was a special ninja type that she could accomplish this technique with ease. This made her feel a tad superior in a way.

That quickly evaporated as soon as she remembered her raging energy that allowed her to complete her training for the day. She couldn't understand why Tsunade had restrained her from going on the mission. She knew full well that they were to retrieve Sasuke. Why couldn't they let her go? It wasn't as if Sakura was arrogant, but she knew that she was more than ready to go. She was an excellent medical ninja, whom they would rely on during the mission. Tsunade had even said herself that Konoha needed to train more medical ninjas to assist on assignments. Haruno Sakura was trained! Haruno Sakura was good! And Haruno Sakura was hell pissed that she was denied.

The pink-haired kunoichi sighed an irritated sigh as she lay on her back, gazing at the sky. How she would give anything to be included in a mission, to be relied on by fellow teammates… To bring back Sasuke.

Sakura quickly shook off that thought. She wanted to go on the mission to prove herself-NOT to fall for that arrogant Uchiha again. Sakura slapped herself on the cheek. She had not allowed herself to think of him for two full years. Why had she all of a sudden remembered him now?

While she was decided whether or not to keep training, Sakura overheard voices on the other side of the Stadium doors. Instinctively, she walked towards the commotion, and laid an ear on the doors.

"Listen up," said a voice. Sakura quickly identified the speaker as none other than the great Shikamaru. "We're going to change the formation up a bit. Instead of a line, I've devised a diamond pattern. Here, this'll show you."

Sakura pushed the door open a bit in curiosity, hoping that it would not make any noise. It was times like these when she wished that she had the Sharingan or Byaakugan or something. Unfortunately for her, not everyone could be so lucky.

The kunoichi's emerald eyes managed to get a glimpse of Shikamaru's scroll with his plan sketches. Shikamaru pointed to each figure with his kunai, explaining them as he got to it.

"At the very front is Kiba and Akamaru, since they can sniff out any traps. The row following will consist of two people: Myself and Chouji. After that, I want Naruto and Lee to proceed to inspect from the sides, and Neji at the back, so his Byaakugan can spot any pursuers from behind."

Sakura craned her neck to peek at Shikamaru's selected team. A tingle of envy coursed through her body as she watched them nod in comprehension. It was completely unfair. She wanted to be with them. She wanted a place on the formation, and she wanted a duty on which they could rely on her. Shifting her weight off her numb leg, she fought every urge to jump out and demand to be included. Shikamaru continued with this plan.

"We do this swiftly and silently as possible, avoiding any distractions whatsoever. Remember, we are a team, so we might as well be considered one person. If one of us fails, we all do." He preached. Each of the shinobis knew that Shikamaru was not intending on putting so much pressure on them, but they couldn't help but feel its weight. Last time they were all more than lucky to have survived. This time, one could only guess at how their fates would all be decided.

Shikamaru rolled up the scroll and stored it in his pouch.

"Are we ready?" he rhetorically asked, already assuming they were. Before taking any steps, the commander took out a kunai from his pouch and poked the sharp tip on his palm. With his other hand, he squeezed the area around the new cut to force the blood out. A scarlet pool formed in the palm of his hand.

"Whatever we do," he began, drawing the Konoha symbol and using his blood as ink, "We do it for Konoha. Put all your selfish ambitions aside. This mission, for the time being, is our life. Do it for the honour of this village."

The rest of the team took out their kunais and did the same. When they had drawn the leaf symbol, they all placed their hands on top of one another, as if a soccer team preparing for a game. Glancing at each other, they smiled.

"For Konoha." They chanted in unison and broke away.

As the team neared the border of the village, they quickly moved to their formations behind the line. Adrenaline rushed through their veins as if it were the final moments before the gunshot of a hundred meter dash. Each of them silently counted down the seconds until their departure, and perhaps last view of Konoha.

Three…Two… 

"MATTE!" a desperate voice pleaded in the background, nearly startling them all to death. The shinobis let out an irritated breath as they turned around to discover who had been their disruptor. A slender figure came running toward them, pink hair swooshing back and forth. This was beginning to be a terrible repeat of the last time they set out.

Sakura stopped a few meters behind them, panting in fatigue. She wore a pained look on her face, mixed with anger and jealousy. Shikamaru became impatient.

"Sakura, you cannot come on this mission. That's final." He simply said, too exhausted from sudden the adrenaline pump to go into detail. Sakura shifted her eyes to look at Naruto and completely ignored Shikamaru's instruction. Her eyebrows lowered in anger and concern.

"I promised you the last time, that I'd join you. I do not go back on my word. It is _my_ ninja way." She spoke firmly. Naruto inwardly melted. What was he to do? A ninja's way was a ninja's way. There was no changing that. Especially since he had the same determination.

Naruto glanced at Shikamaru for help, but he only burned with more irritation.

"Sakura, the decision has been made. Tsunade has denied your permission to come. Do us a favour and stay here where you can't get in our way." He barked. It was a bit harsh, they all admitted. But someone had to tell her sooner or later. Sakura, however, was untouched and still stood her ground.

"A promise is a promise!" she challenged.

"And an order is an order!" Shikamaru yelled back, raising his tone more than he had wanted. "Go back home! We don't need you."

His statement hit a nerve and Sakura broke. She angrily pounded her fist on a tree and it reduced to nothing but sawdust. Sakura was panting again in fury. The rest of the team were silently amazed but preferred not to let it be known.

Shikamaru, however, was unmoved.

"You think breaking a tree will prove anything?" he scoffed as the others sank back. 'Breaking a tree' was putting it mildly. She disintegrated it! Shikamaru coldly turned his back on the desperate kunoichi. "I'm sorry, Sakura. You were denied. Be respectful to your Hokage and go home. We're finished here."

Sakura's eyes welled up with hurt tears but she refused to surrender to their threatening fall. She would not be the weak one anymore. Never.

The other five ninjas watched her in unspoken pity as she clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. Her glossy eyes were full of overwhelming rage. Each of them knew how horrible it was to be dismissed without being given a chance to prove worthiness. Watching Sakura's dilemawould not be so easily erased in their minds.

They observed the kunoichi as her panting slowed. She gradually composed herself and closed her eyes. With one poof, she vanished into a cloud of smoke, leaving the boys unsure of where she had gone.

Shikamaru remained his position, his back facing them.

"We've had enough distractions for the day. Let's go."

With that, the six ninja's disappeared into the horizon…

...Beyond the Konoha gate.

**Author's note: **This chapter's a little more exciting than the previous ones. I hope you're all enjoying it so far. If I made Sakura sound like a biya in this chapter, it was definitely not intended. She will be kick butt later, don't you worry, Sak-fans. As for the love strings? They'll all be tied together in the future. Patience, patience, please! Anyway, hope you liked! Reviews! Reviews!


	5. Caught Off Guard

**Author's Note: **Wow, I totally did NOT expect so many good reviews! I feel so… flattered! Thanks, guys! I was kinda feeling the dreaded spell of laziness to finish this chapter, but after many requests of updating, I felt motivated again. I really appreciate it, guys! You all rock!

Zarrah-chan

p.s Oh, another thing about the team. I think there may have been some confusion on the members of the team who went on the mission. Just to clarify, it is NARUTO, SHIKAMARU, NEJI, CHOUJI, ROCK LEE, and KIBA/AKAMARU. Those are the members. Ok. Enjoy. This is a good one.

**Caught off guard**

The team of six had been traveling through the trees for what seemed to be hours, each of them contemplating on the events of the last time they traveled that path together.

And each of them shaking off the unpleasant memories.

Surprisingly, they all had remained quiet, even the brash and talkative Naruto who maintained his position as the middle shinobi in their indestructible formation.

Two years ago, they were young, inexperienced, and nearly all killed off for the same mission they were to complete now. Some of the members had hesitated on going to risk their lives for an arrogant Konoha shinobi who was most likely to refuse the offer of returning peacefully with them. But the commander had so greatly pleaded for their participation, and they were somehow all suckered into joining the team again. It was so hard to turn away Shikamaru's offer.

Naruto had, for the longest time anyone knew, fallen silent. The other men knew what he had been thinking, but kept hushed, knowing that there was no other way to help him feel better. Naruto felt guilty for leaving the dejected Sakura behind.

"_I'm sorry it took so long, Naruto. Next time, we'll do it together." The pink-haired kunoichi winked with a forced, (yet at the same time) genuine smile. "I promise."_

The blond shinobi flashed back to the day his female comrade found him in the hospital. He had apologized for not keeping his promise and in turn, she promised that she would join him when they set out to retrieve Sasuke again.

He, himself even thought that she was ready enough to join them, especially since she was a medical ninja, and extremely intelligent. But for the second time, Shikamaru dismissed her for the same reason. She would be in the way.

Naruto had stood helplessly as she disappeared in rage at being insulted the second time around.

The blond-haired ninja clenched his fist as he bounced off the limb of another tree. It wasn't as if he was angry and Shikamaru for his decision. Naruto just felt underestimated on Sakura's behalf, the fact that she wasn't even given a chance to prove herself. Deep down, Naruto knew Sakura was stronger than everyone thought, but he had said nothing. If he were the immature, irrational boy at 12, then he would have rampaged on. Actually, even now at 16, if Shikamaru had dismissed him like he did Sakura, Naruto _still_ would have rampaged on. He was surprised to see that all Sakura did was angrily disappear in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto sighed, knowing that she would be extremely angry when they returned and would even hesitate on treating their wounds. He could not help but feel the overwhelming guilt that grew inside him. He loved his teammates to death as brothers, but he was a little disappointed that they too did not speak up to let Sakura prove herself. Did they still think she was the same girly "Sasuke-kun" lovesick, weak ninja she was when they were younger? Because, if given the chance, Sakura would prove them all wrong.

Naruto was too drowned in his thoughts to realize that the group had now changed directions, taking a longer route towards their goal of the Village of Sound. When he glanced around and was unfamiliar with the trail, he decided to speak up.

"Oi! Shikamaru! Why are we going this way? We'll never get to the village by sunrise! Where are you taking us?"

It was unusual for the older, wiser Naruto to question the motives of Shikamaru. Nevertheless, the leader still responded.

"You're still a dobe. Haven't you figured out that someone is following us?" Shikamaru informed in a hushed voice.

Naruto widened his eyes, feeling like an idiot for not sensing that. The chakra was very faint, but could still be detected. Whoever it was must've not been a very good assassin. His chakra level was still detectable, and all shinobi knew that chakra levels must be kept hidden when pursuing someone in an ambush. Was this guy an idiot? Did he WANT to be found?

Shikamaru exchanged eyes signals with Kiba and Rock Lee who immediately jumped off into opposite directions. Naruto quickly read the silent plan and jumped behind so that the six could form a circle, still moving. Then, abruptly, they all stopped at their positions (now ground-based) and remained silent.

"You must be a fool to travel alone. Why don't you just come out and surrender." Shikamaru coaxed. When nothing moved, Shikamaru signaled to Neji, who nodded in comprehension.

"Byaakugan!"

Instantly, veins popped up on the temples of the Hyuuga's face as he unleashed his powerful bloodline limit. Peering around, his vision changed to a clearer picture, his visibility ranging to almost 360º. A pulse of blue flashed to his left, an indication of a chakra system flowing in a ninja's body. Instinctively, he drew out three shuriken and threw them in the direction of the chakra.

A cloaked figure dropped down from a tree branch and landed with a thump on the dirt ground. Strange. It was expected that Neji would hit the target on the first shot, but it was odd that their pursuer would be this weak and fall with only three shuriken. He was an idiot after all.

Naruto, Neji, and Rock Lee walked closer to the fallen figure. Neji stared hard at the figure. Was he really dead? The chakra had stopped flowing, and the byaakugan could see that the heart stopped pumping. Whoever it was was a real baka.

Neji decided to be the one to unveil the hooded assassin and to reveal his embarrassment. He stepped up and reached out to yank off the cloak.

"_CRAP!_" Neji exclaimed as a woodstump was exposed. They all spun around too late as twelve kunai spun their direction, barely missing Neji's 'blind spot'. Managing to dodge all of the weapons, the Shinobis inwardly smacked themselves for falling for such a primitive technique, the scapegoat. How the heck could a team of one genin, three chuunin, and two jounins fall for a stupid elementary trick like the scapegoat!

But despite their miscalculation, they all still overestimated themselves. After all, it was six high-ranked ninjas versus one obviously inexperienced one. The odds favoured them, correct?

Again, they miscalculated.

Kiba and Akamaru were the first to attack. Together, they hoped to take out the assassin with one move, and a powerful one at that. Kiba quickly formed hand signals as he and Akamaru jumped in the air. Two great tornados formed and spun with amazing force in the direction of the flying kunai. A small patch of great oaks were disintegrated and reduced to nothing. It was a move well executed and capable of wiping out anyone. The low-ranked ninja probably was one of them.

Kiba landed with grace on the ground and grunted with a proud smile. He stuck his hands in his jacket pockets and walked away in underestimation. The rest of the team still held their positions.

Suddenly, Kiba froze as if he had seen a ghost. In moments too quick for even the Byaakugan to catch, he felt a pulse of chakra and slap of two fingers on his forehead. As soon as he felt it, it vanished. Akamaru began barking with concern.

The other men ran towards the shocked Kiba. As they caught glimpse of his face, they gasped. Kiba's expression was frozen, his pupils were dilated, and on his forehead was a character symbol saying 'sealed'.

Naruto waved a hand in front of his teammates face, but it did nothing. Kiba was out cold and they did not know where his mind had gone.

Naruto growled. This guy was playing around with them. Who the heck did he think he was?

Naruto was determined to deflate the arrogant ninja's ego. He peered at his surroundings and detected quick movements in the trees around him. The blond opened his hand as a swirl of purely woven chakra began to form into a sphere in his palm. It had taken Naruto quite some time to develop the Rasengan without the duplication of himself to aid him. But after many frustrated attempts, he finally mastered it.

With great agility, Naruto aimed towards the quick hooded figure. Caught off guard, the figure paused as the Rasengan met with his flesh.

As quickly as Naruto's satisfaction surfaced, it evaporated as the figure 'poofed' into nothing.

Rasengan vanished as Naruto summoned chakra to his feet, clinging onto the bark of a tree.

"Dammit!" he cursed. He felt like he was twelve again and just being toyed around with. "Come out, you coward!" he provoked. That was an unlikely call to come out from Naruto's mouth because he knew he was far more mature than that. Unfortunately for him, old habits had a tendency to resurface.

The irritated Naruto jerked around at the rustle of leaves.

Suddenly, a slap of two fingers flicked onto both of his ankles. Instantly, the same symbol appeared and his magnet chakra faded. Naruto's head came crashing down.

Shikamaru became impatient.

"Naruto is so troublesome." He sighed. "Oi! Did you do nothing with Jiraiya-sannin for the past two years!"

Now, Naruto was pissed. What the heck did that ninja do to him!

He attempted to sit up, but for some odd reason, nothing moved. Confused, the blond tried again, and to no avail, his legs remained motionless. Naruto glared at his toes and then began to comically flail his arms around.

"Help! I'm paralyzed!" he shrieked in a high-pitched, girlish note. Neji impatiently kissed his teeth as he walked closer to the fox boy.

"What the hell?"

Neji poked at Naruto's frozen legs and stared expectantly, waiting for a response.

"Feel that?" he asked. Naruto shook his head as Neji growled. Chouji and Rock Lee joined the Hyuuga in examining the hopeless paraplegic before them.

"What kind of technique is this guy using, Neji-san?" Rock Lee asked. Neji shrugged.

"I have no idea. He's too quick for my Byaakugan to catch. And he seems to know about my blind spot as well as my fifty-meter limit. On top of that, he purposefully blends in with my flow of chakra, so even my chakra barrier can't detect him." Neji explained. His ego shot down a couple of points. "I hate to admit it, but he's pretty quick-thinking."

Rock Lee immediately reached to unhook his weights around his ankles.

"I'll bet he's not as fast as me."

Before he could remove them, three sparks of chakra flashed before the three ninja, proceeded by a tap. As quick as the sensation appeared, it vanished.

They froze.

Lee's position remained bent down, Neji's neck stiffened, and Chouji's arms maintained it's casual position, stuffed in his pocket. Each of them was stamped with the jutsu character on the place of their body in which they could not move.

"Kuso," Neji muttered while silently wondering what hit them so quickly. Despite his tough exterior, panic had slowly begun to weave its way into his mind. If he could not pivot his neck, his blind spot would be completely vulnerable.

Neji tightened his fists, inwardly cursing all the training he had done over the years. All that hard work, had it suddenly gone to nothing?

The shinobi burned with impatient frustration. The technique the unidentified ninja was using was no doubt a simple one. Yet, in ten minutes, he had been able to target their weak points to render them useless and completely vulnerable.

Chouji huffed.

"Shikamaru! Help us!"

Immediately, the commander jumped from his location in the trees.

"Crap, what happened to you guys?"

Inspecting the seals, Shikamaru answered his own question. "This ninja's no ordinary ninja. He must be a shinobi trained in knowledge of biological anatomy to know all the paralysis pressure points. Not only that, he's also skilled in genjutsu, using seals that can only be removed by the one who made it. You guys are stuck until bucky boy over there decides to free you."

Neji scowled at this. His self-worth was shattered at how quickly he had been defeated. He attempted to rotate his head simply by using brute force, despite what Shikamaru had informed. In moments, an electrical pulse was triggered and caused Neji to curse in unexplained agony.

"Dammit!"

Shikamaru peered closer at the tattooed symbol on Neji's neck and discovered two small teardrop squiggles on the polar opposites of the seal.

"Geez, this is troublesome." He muttered. All ears were on him now, at the negativity of Shikamaru's tone.

"What!" they demanded in unison. Shikamaru breathed in aggravation.

"These are leech symbols. Squirm a lot, and these babies'll trigger an electrical pulse to suck the chakra out of you. And in big doses, too."

Shikamaru felt ashamed at the swift defeat of his supposed top-notched teammates. He pondered for a moment before stepping out into the opening of trees.

"Ok. You've clearly won. Why don't you come out and fight me, one-on-one. It's fair now." He called out to the hidden assassin.

Confused, yet hopeful, the team members kept quiet. If there was one person who could get out of the tightest fixes, it was the brilliant Shikamaru.

In a poof, the hooded figure reappeared, quite a distance away, and stood directly in front of Shikamaru. Glancing around at his surroundings and seemingly-hopeless predicament, Shikamaru's back up plans were quickly diminishing. No nearby tree shadows to aid him, no strong moonlight, and no holes in the ground to cover his shadow. _Shoot… _he inwardly swore. _He's too far for my shadow jutsu to reach… _This ninja was far too clever.

The Konoha jounin analyzed his opponent carefully. Strangely enough, he was much shorter than expected. Was this genius a mere child!

After purposefully allowing time for analysis, the unknown assassin decided to be the one to attack first. Swiftly and soundlessly, he charged toward the unprepared Shikamaru.

When he was within Shadow-jutsu's range, Shikamaru decided that his bloodline technique was his only hope for the moment, although he knew that the assassin was already expecting that particular assault.

_Monkey, Horse, Snake, Rabbit…_

Not quick enough…

Before Shikamaru could finish, the attacker shot three hidden kunai from under his long cloak. Shikamaru leaped into the air, hoping to extend his shadow to complete the jutsu. But before he could even lift a finger, another kunai came flying his direction and pinned his vest to a tree. The jounin squirmed like a fly caught in a spider web.

Then, he heard a hissing noise.

Turning to the kunai, he sited a white and red tag with Japanese inscriptions painted on it.

_Hydrogen, oil, fire…_

"Holy crap!" he exclaimed. Without thinking twice, he slipped out of his vest and scrambled to dash away as quick as his feet could carry him.

A deafening blast was heard for miles.

Shikamaru cringed as he felt his body thrust against the bark of an oak tree. The pressure from the explosion had seared away some of the skin on his arm and it burned like acid. Slumping down the trunk, he instinctively grabbed his wounded arm. He was amazed. The speedy reactions of the assassin were incredible, as if he had anticipated every move from the beginning. But was astounded him even more was that the assassin used simple objects and techniques to defeat the team of high-ranked ninjas. It was completely genius. Whoever it was, was only cleverly using the _minimum_ limits of his strength.

Shikamaru gaped at the patch of burning trees and blackening smoke just behind him. A shiver of terror ran through his spine. His teammates were there!

It wasn't as if he doubted them or anything. They had every ability to miss the explosion. The problem was, the assassin had paralyzed them, so the possibility of them using their abilities to escape was quite slim. Shikamaru, with every nerve of his body, wished that they had evacuated safely.

And to his surprise, his wish was granted.

Behind the jounin, an electric shock was heard, followed by a groan of pain. When some of the smoke cleared, a chestnut-brown-haired, white-eyed figure appeared, crouched in an agonizing manner as electrical strings flashed around his neck.

"NEJI!" Shikamaru beckoned. Neji panted in exhaustion.

"I put a chakra barrier around the guys. They're safe." He managed to spit out. Static charges squeaked around his neck, and again, he flinched. The Hyuuga straightened his neck. There was a certain awkward stiffness in his upper body, as if he wore a neck brace.

"Call back your Byaakugan." Shikamaru instructed. "You're wasting chakra you may not have for much longer."

The look in the Hyuuga's eyes reflected defensiveness, but he eventually did as he was told. The veins on his temples sank down as his vision returned to normal. Neji examined his hand, in which he used to summon the chakra barrier. _Dammit… That took more out of me than I thought._

Neji instantly thought of the temporary paralysis on his neck and how much chakra it drained when he moved to put up the barrier. He inwardly spat at the cursed seal. If he could reach it, he would gnaw the tattoo off himself.

Neji's morbid thoughts were interrupted by Shikamaru's pained sigh. The Hyuuga looked over at his commander who was busily poking at his injured arm, only to be bitten by the sting of the acidic burn.

"What was that blast?" Neji asked through rigid jaws, attempting to keep his neck perfectly still.

Shikamaru grimaced.

"Explosive kunai." He responded. Neji automatically crunched his eyebrows together in confusion.

"An explosive kunai did _that_?"

Shikamaru shook his head.

"It was different, though. The characters on the tag were far more complicated than the basic explosive tags. It's almost as if someone as great as a Hokage made them. Question is, where did that guy get it? Or worse, did he _make_ it?"

The Konoha commander rummaged through his pouch and pulled out a kunai, a white tag, and a brush pen. He immediately began stroking. When he was finished, the character "light" was painted in the center of the tag.

Shikamaru began shoving the brush into his pouch, and tied the tag to the kunai.

"It may not be as powerful as his, but I have an idea that worked well last time." He said, infusing some of his chakra into the talisman. Neji was struck. For Shikamaru to repeat past executions, they must have been in a pretty tight dilemma and quickly running out of back-ups.

Neji watched as he took out a cherry bomb and tossed it into the air. It crackled and then flared.

He closed his eyes to sense his surroundings.

"He's coming this way." Neji notified. "Below."

Shikamaru nodded and braced himself. He stuck the kunai in his mouth while carefully taking three steps back.

"Five Shadow Replicas…." He mumbled.

To his exact prediction, five hooded figures popped out of the ground and closed in around him in a circle. Neji was surprised at his commander's correctness. But then again, the assassin was using simple tactics to defeat them. Shadow Replicating was one of them.

"I figured you were cocky," Shikamaru smirked at the multiple assassins surrounding him. "Thinking you could defeat us with low-rank techniques, just to make yourself look good."

The hooded ninjas didn't hesitate to attack. In unison, they jumped in the air, attempting to pounce on the outnumbered jounin commander. Shikamaru took the kunai from him mouth and pierced it in the ground. _Quickly… _he thought. _Snake, rabbit, snake…_

Suddenly, a bright light exploded from the talisman just as Shikamaru finished the final hand seal. The hooded figures were stunned.

Shikamaru's hands were quicker this time.

_Monkey, Horse, Snake, Rabbit, Dog, Rabbit, Rat._

In moments too agile for Neji to catch, the five hooded shinobi were frozen in air. He glanced down at Shikamaru's feet to see his shadow branching off in five directions, each directly underneath the assassins. _He used the light to extend his shadow? _

It was a brilliant plan and Shikamaru knew that it could not fail him, even on the second time using it.

Shikamaru put his hands together in the dragon seal.

"Shadow Strangle Technique." He recited.

Suddenly, all the ninjas in Shikamaru's control poofed into nothing.

"NANI!" Neji exclaimed out loud. He shuffled behind Shikamaru. " They were _all_ fakes?"

The next moments were a blur to the both of them.

A flash of chakra shifted into Shikamaru's line of vision and it struck him in the gut. The power was monstrously immense. Immediately, it sent him flying into Neji, who soared with him. Bashing through many trees, the two jounins finally stopped at a clearing, back to where they had started.

Chouji, Naruto, and Lee looked up at the commotion, and were surprised to see them again.

"Watch out!" Naruto suddenly shrieked, a moment too late.

The hooded assassin reappeared 10 meters away from them. With a colossal amount of pressured chakra built up in his hand, he struck the ground with all his might.

Instantly, the earth crumbled beneath the Konoha team of six, into a hole with a diamteter big enough to swallow only them. With the help of gravity, the shinobis helplessly plummeted to the utmost pit of the fissure.

When the dust had settled, six men were entangled between rocks, dirt, and each other, at the bottom of the hole.

At the edge of the opening of the hole, the assassin stood there, silently declaring victory. A sneer grin grew beneath the shadow of his hood.

Every inch of the Konoha ninjas' bodies screamed pain.

"Bastard…" was all Neji managed to curse.

"You aren't in the position to name-call me anything." The figure suddenly spoke for the first time.

Naruto's eyebrows crunched together in confusion and familiarity. A **_girl!_**

Fidgeting to look up, they all glowered at the assassin who willingly pulled down the hood, to reveal the much-anticipated identity.

Six pairs of shocked eyes met a pair of emerald ones, staring back with ice.

"**_SAKURA_!"**

**-**

**Author's note: **Whew! That was an exhausting chapter. I'm terribly sorry to cut you off right there, but hey. I wanted you guys to crave…wait…DESIRE more! Moohahha!

I hope you all liked. And as usual, reviews are GREATLY APPRECIATED!

Next chapter should be up soon. Please Keep reading!

zarrah-chan


	6. counterparts

**Author's note: **Firstly, I'd like to thank the faithful reviewers for…well… reviewing! Haha, it was very motivating and constructive for future chapters, so thank you all very much. Second, I'd like to note that in the last chapter, I do in fact realize that it was bluntly obvious the assassin was Sakura. So, if I bored you, I do apologize and hope to make it up later on. I purposefully made it completely obvious that Sakura had followed them from the very beginning. After all, this _IS_ a SAKURA-CENTERED fic, no duh. The chapter focused on what she was capable of, and it was not meant to surprise you. But if it did, that's cool all the same. I just hope I did a good enough job in explaining the fight scenes. Unfortunately for me, I am an artist, so I see things clearly in my head, but cannot express clearly sometimes in words. Anyway, let's hope these next few chapters are ok. Enjoy!

Zarrah-chan

**Counterparts**

The look on their faces was absolutely priceless. Sakura could almost taste their pleading apologies now. This was just too good. If she had a camera, the shot of them would be blackmail for the rest of her life, and they would all be wrapped around her little finger. Six, sorry, seven (including Akamaru) high-ranked Konoha ninjas defeated by, what was that? _ONE_ kunoichi!

She inwardly laughed with delight, but managed to keep her cold demeanor.

The Konoha ninjas' jaws were still plunged to way beneath the bottom of the hole. _What the hell? _Was a question that ran through each of their minds.

After a moment of stunned silence (with the exception of Akamaru's whimpering), Naruto decided to be on the one to break it.

"Sakura-chan! Why are you-Where did you-What are you _wearing_?" he managed to spit out. The other five would have smacked their heads at the stupidity and irrelevance of his question…

…if they could only move.

Despite the oddity of Naruto's query, Sakura tossed off her cloak to reveal her stealthy outfit. The usual red dress was replaced by a black shinobi uniform, with accents of femininity. The hems of her clothing were lined with a silky pink, and tied around her waist was a brilliant scarlet belt. Attached to her right thigh was a pouch in which tools and weapons were stored. The kunoichi's blush hair was pulled into two buns, a strange feminine contrast to her masculine fierceness.

In spite of being elite ninjas, the team couldn't help but inwardly melt back in fear at Sakura's appearance. This Haruno Sakura was different. Her emerald eyes revealed no emotion and her posture indicated that she could kill them all in seconds, had she wanted to.

Suddenly, Rock Lee made a noise.

"Sakura-san! You are so beautiful!" he exclaimed as rivers of tears ran down his cheeks. "Truly, you are a kunoichi!"

The team rolled their eyes. How could he be so polite when they all got their asses whooped by a girl?

Neji grunted.

"So? Are you going to let us out or not?" he bitterly growled, tangled between Naruto's paralyzed legs, Chouji's paralyzed arms, and Lee's paralyzed body. It really was very comical and Sakura had to fight every urge in her body not to break out in laughter. She composed herself and re-plastered the fierceness onto her gentle face. She wondered how far she could push and how much she could piss them off.

"Get yourselves out." She barked coolly, and strode away from the opening. Naruto instinctively jolted.

"Oi! Come back!"

They all yelped as Naruto's struggled flailing triggered his electrical pulse, which in turn, triggered everyone else's. The groans echoed for miles.

"Dammit, Naruto! Keep still!" Shikamaru yelled.

That was the cherry on top of Sakura's delectable sundae of amusement.

A serene laughter filled the tense air as the kunoichi returned to the opening of the hole. She squatted and peered down at the team, all while chuckling in enjoyment.

"I can't tell you how pathetic you all look right now." She provoked, one finger on her chin, as if an innocent child blamed of nuisance. Neji was far from amused.

"What did you do to us?" he demanded. The grin on Sakura's face grew.

"A little med-ninjutsu mixed with secret genjutsu, compliments of Tsunade-sama herself." She teased. The pressure of their aggravated glares fell upon her. Unfortunately, their annoyance only led to more laughter.

After a moment, the petite ninja sighed and decided to come down. She erected magnetic chakra in her hands and feet to help her climb down with ease. With each step she took, the kunoichi jammed a kunai into the walls of the hole to create steps for the paraplegics who would find it difficult to climb up themselves.

When she reached the bottom, she put her hands on her hips in exaggeration, and shook her head.

"This is what I was telling you about." She began. "I'm not the only medical ninja out there. Other ninjas have the capability of doing this to you and you won't have a clue how to fight it because you lack a medical ninja. What if I were on Orochimaru's team? You'd all be dead in less than five minutes." She explained in a gentle tone, rather than a scolding one.

The boys glowered at her, but knew deep down that she was right. Man, they felt like little toddlers being toughly educated by Mama. Dammit, how the heck did Sakura get so strong _and_ wise? This was the same girl who failed the chuunin exams with Ino two years prior. The same girl who followed Sasuke like a shadow. The same Sakura who none paid attention to (with the exception of Naruto and Rock Lee) due to her low skill as a ninja. This was the same Haruno…

…And they all got their butts whooped by her in less than twenty minutes.

Crap. That thought sucked.

As each of them contemplated on where they had gone wrong, Sakura sauntered towards them. With a flick of two fingers on each of their tattoos, the kunoichi began releasing the paralysis on their sore muscles. She felt their unified sighs of relief as well as their movements to get up. Instantly, she put up a warning hand.

"Hang on a sec." She cautioned. "Don't move."

Rapid hand seals were formed, following a distinct pattern that would allow her to dispel the jutsu.

When Sakura had completed the technique, she clapped her hands together.

"KAI!" She incanted. Within seconds, the black tattoos vanished. She had called back her seals.

Sakura watched as Kiba snapped back into reality, his pupils returning from the temporary dilation. As soon as they all realized they were free, the ninjas scrambled away from each other's intertwined bodies, in hopes to regain what little manly dignity they had left.

"Now," Sakura began, turning back to the mud walls and the kunai wedged into them, "We have to take a shorter route in order to-"

The kunoichi's statement was cut off by the blockage of air pipes.

Before she could react, Neji had pummeled her fragile body onto the walls of the hole, and his hand gripped tighter around her slender neck. With his other hand, he seized the collar of her shirt and pulled her up until her feet dangled inches off the ground.

"You think you proved yourself, Haruno? The only thing you did was delay our mission and waste our energy!" he reprimanded bitterly, slamming her back into the dirt wall once more. Naruto and Lee dashed towards the raging Hyuuga, attempting to pry him off the stunned kunoichi.

"Neji-san!" Lee pleaded, grasping one arm while Naruto wrestled with the other. Neji didn't fight back. He didn't need to. The Hyuuga had made it clear that he was angry with the girl for wasting his time, and that was all he cared about.

After a moment of scowling into her jade eyes, he released his constraint around her collar and neck, and took a step back.

Sakura fell to her knees choking for un-breathed air. Instinctively, her hands moved around her neck, hoping to free the air passage. Naruto and Lee cradled her in concern as she began to cough violently. Neji, however, was unmoved. With one effortless jump, he was out of the hole.

"You're a disgrace to Tsunade for disobeying her orders. Go back home!" he dictated in fury, turning his back on her with disrespect. Shikamaru cleared his throat.

"Calm down, Neji." He intervened like a parent between two squabbling siblings. "Don't rush off and do something you might regret."

Shikamaru was just as enraged as Neji at the fact that Sakura had been rebellious, but he preferred to be in total control of his actions.

The Konoha commander shifted his eyes back to the girl struggling to catch her breath. It still astonished him that this one kunoichi had been able to render them all useless with simple techniques and tactics in a short amount of time. Although he was extremely upset at this fact, he was very intrigued at how it would actually be like to have her on the team. She, indeed, had made a great impression on him, and somewhere deep inside his stubborn male mind, he truly regretted not giving her a chance in the beginning.

His male stubbornness, however, would not so easily submit to bluntly admitting that.

"Sakura," he spoke with mixed firmness and tenderness, "Why did you disregard Tsunade's distinct orders for you not to follow?"

He was genuinely interested.

Sakura swallowed hard, as if being interrogated by the authorities. She stalled a moment, pondering on how to answer his question with the greatest amount of accuracy. Then, it occurred to her, that the answer that first came into her mind, reflected the most precision.

"I'm tired of being underestimated!" she spoke. "Nobody has ever taken me seriously until now, nor have they given me a chance to prove myself. I wanted to show you all that I'm not the same Haruno Sakura you once looked down upon."

Nothing could be closer to the truth than what she had said. In all their eyes, they were more than convinced that she was not the same as she had been in the past.

The look on Sakura's face pierced into Shikamaru's eyes with an unstoppable pleading that shook the heavens.

"Please. I beg you. Grant me permission to do this mission with you."

Ahhh crap. This was why he thought girls were so troublesome. Inwardly, Shikamaru wished he had looked away before guilt would sucker him into going against his word. Yet, he knew she had a firm grasp on his eyes and a tight grip on his heart.

Shikamaru's tense shoulders dropped as he shuffled through his pouch. When he finally found what he was searching for, the jounin pulled out the scroll with his drawing of the original formation plan. Taking out a paintbrush, he marked a point beside the last one, and sighed.

"We'll keep the formation as it is. I want each of you to partner up with the ninja beside you and guard them with your life. He, _or she, _will be considered your counterpart and you must fight together as one." Shikamaru directed. He then circled the dot at the end of the structure. "Sakura, I'm putting you at the end with Neji so you can guard his 'blind spot'. You seem to be the only one who knows exactly where it is."

Neji spun around at the sound of his name and hers in one statement. He said nothing, but the simple ignited rage in his eyes spoke his opposition for him. His facial expression screamed the question _WHY THE HELL!_. The only thing that prevented his urge to outburst was his dignity as noble Hyuuga. He was NOT the same as Naruto.

Shikamaru had sensed his resistance, but chose to ignore it, and continued with the explanation of his ingenious plot.

"I know that this is against what Tsunade had ordered, but we'd be wasting more time to go back with Sakura to explain her absence. So I want each of you to get familiar with each other, as she will be joining the team. As the leader, I am not only asking you to get along, I'm demanding it. Learn each other's weaknesses, and do your best to make up for what your teammates lack. This might be very convenient." Shikamaru said, helping Sakura up. "We now have a nurse on our team."

The jounin re-packed the scroll into his pouch and made a move to climb out of the hole.

"Move out." He spoke. "We've wasted enough time."

Naruto was ecstatic with the news. He patted Sakura on the back.

"I always knew you were good." He said. "Glad to be working with you again."

Sakura couldn't help but feel the tingling sensation of triumph. She had waited a long time for respect. And she had finally gotten it. Her hard work had finally paid off!

Yet, somewhere beneath the excitement, she felt at fault for how she was acknowledged. She had never intended on disobeying the Hokage to prove herself. She wanted to do it the honest way... The way she knew best.

Sakura quickly shook off that doubting thought. She had gone too far to throw it all away and go back. Her determination exploded. She would finish this mission. No matter what it cost.

The pink-haired kunoichi was the last one in the hole when she decided to climb out. But before she could get out, the angry Hyuuga jumped down from his altitude and stared her directly in the eyes.

"Haruno," he breathed, his face only inches from hers, "Mess up once, and I'll make sure that you never get a mission again."

The seriousness in his deep tone forced an eerie shiver to run up and down Sakura's spine. He narrowed his eyes.

"Don't get in my way."

With that, he leapt out of the crater and resumed the moving formation, leaving the kunoichi drowned in the darkness of his echoing threat.

A ghostly, pale figure observed the kunoichi as she clambered up the hole. A sickening grin lit up his bony face. He turned to the young man who stood sourly beside him.

"Recognize her?"

The raven-haired young man shook his head.

"No."

The pale man shifted his snake-like eyes towards his younger subordinate.

"Are you sure?" he questioned.

The young man blinked hey ebony eyes and nodded.

"Affirmative."

"Good." He said, chuckling. "Follow her."

In an instant, the young man vanished into thin air, leaving the ghostly figure alone to plan future affairs.

"Things are going to get a little more interesting…"

**Author's note: **Ahh, this was a crappy chapter, I know. But I was in the deepest writer's block for the longest time and I knew that you guys were interested on finding out what happens. The problem I had was that I knew EXACTLY how the story would begin and END but everything in the middle was a little hazy. I hope I didn't disappoint you, and if I did, I'm TERRIBLY sorry. I just wanted to get the relationship between Neji and Sakura to roll along (even though I know that in this chapter, it wasn't exactly a charming beginning for them). I wanted to make it known that there would be something between the two. And, if you didn't noticed, I introduced our favourite little black-haired, sharingan-eyed Uchiha in this chapter. **wink **I wonder what will happen now?… grins evilly please stay tuned!

REVIEWS! REVIEWS!


	7. Unreachable Destination

**Author's note:** Yeah, that last chapter was a bit tame compared to chapter 5. I'm hoping to make it more exciting. Thank you for being so faithful and sticking by my writing until the end. I am PRAYING I don't disappoint you. Oh, and to Saffy-chan, I totally agree with you. Sasuke, DOES need a good kick up the bum. 

_Zarrah-chan_

Special thanks to Saffy-chan, Queen Cow, Yuugi-chan, kitsune, animEvivvERz, Aemkea, and evil-mittens, for always being the first to review, and for giving me useful advice. You guys are totally awesome. Everyone else who reviewed, I still love you all the same! Thanks guys!

Well… Here it goes…Chapter 7

**Unreachable Destination**

The group of Konoha ninjas had been traveling in quietude for the past several hours now. Although it was well past noon, the sun was hidden beneath the shadow of dark clouds that hovered over them. The humid atmosphere and gloominess of the sky indicated threatening rainfall. And by the thickness of the air, it would be a _heavy_ storm to come.

Sakura uncomfortably cleared her throat at the silence. Through the corner of her eye, she could see that Neji was still fuming at Shikamaru's decision to both include her on the team, AND place her next to him as his counterpart. His eyes could only reveal so much resentment, and she could only guess at what he was thinking. Sakura focused her eyes ahead and struggled to brush the negative thoughts out of her head. _I'm on a dangerous mission, _she thought, _I can't afford the luxury of self-doubt, nor the distraction of what that arrogant bastard has to say._

The Hyuuga could tell that the kunoichi had been staring at him. Although his Byaakugan had not been summoned, his observations were still top-notched. He could even sense her build-up of uncertainty. _Stupid girls._ He inwardly spat. _How quickly they change emotions. _

Neji rebounded from a tree branch. He still couldn't understand what it was about her that pissed him off so much. He contemplated on his aggressiveness with the girl back in the hole and questioned the anger that drove him to strangle her. It was completely out of his calm and collective character to act impulsively in rage like he did. The Hyuuga shivered in disgust. _I'm becoming like the Uchiha…_

That thought was quickly shoved aside. The Hyuuga was too proud to even THINK of being compared to that Sharingan-eyed brat, the one whom they were all risking their lives for AGAIN. Thinking about him made Neji's blood boil. If Sasuke had wanted to get stronger, all the bastard could've done was TRAIN. Geez, would that be too difficult? Instead, he had gone off seeking Orochimaru for power, which led this team to waste time and energy to bring him back. _What a frickken idiot._

Neji clenched his fist, attempting to calm himself. He was making himself angry over stupid issues, in which it was too late to change. His genius mind blocked out any thoughts of the Uchiha, to prevent himself from wasting angry energy. Thinking about something else…ANYTHING else, was far better than thinking about Sasuke…

…Even Sakura was a far better topic.

Neji was reminded of the kunoichi who had defeated the elite ninjas, hours prior. The Hyuuga thought for a moment. Was that why he had lost his temper?

It had been the first time since his loss against Naruto in the chuunin exams that he was so humiliated in his life. _Jounin, Hyuuga Neji, conquered by Chuunin, Haruno Sakura._

Neji flinched. Those weren't exactly the greatest words to parade around in neon lights.

_Hmm…_the jounin inwardly grunted. _She just got lucky. _

Deep down, Neji knew that wasn't entirely true. No matter how many times Neji replayed their fight scene in his head, he couldn't spot any flaws, nor could he think of anything he could've done to change the outcome. The Hyuuga noticed. They ALL noticed. Haruno Sakura was probably one of the strongest on their champion team. She was a warrior. And they all failed to see that in the past.

Neji reflected on Sakura's change of character. He hadn't known her very well when they were younger. In fact, to him, she barely existed. She was one of those _wastes of chakra_, back in academy years. All she cared about were looks, gossip, and Uchiha Sasuke. He remembered once thinking that girls should've been forbidden to be ninjas. Hardly any of them would make it very far anyway. Ten Ten was fierce, but not nearly as strong as himself, while Hinata was too shy and self-conscious. And Ino… The Hyuuga shivered at the thought of this blond and how she tried to seduce him with her 'good' looks during the Chuunin exam in Death Forest. She was the _leader_ in the squad of girly bimbos who were still determined on winning Sasuke's affection. Quite frankly, to him, she was the weakest of all of them, to even _THINK_ of attempting to distract him with flirtatious gestures.

Yes, he had without a doubt thought that girls were weak, with the exception of Tsunade, who was the only female capable of kicking Neji's ass…

…and Sakura was starting to take after the Hokage more and more.

Neji grunted at how the pink-haired kunoichi booted his sorry behind.

Sakura had changed. Neji was beginning to admit to himself that fact. The girl back then was nothing compared to the girl he knew now. She was fierce. She was confident. She was strong…

… and hey… a guy would have to be completely BLIND to **_not_** notice...

She was pretty.

_Dammit! _Neji flared. _Did I just say that? _

So much for calming himself down.

This time, Neji clenched both his fists until his knuckles turned white. Why he was so angry again, the Hyuuga had no clue. Part of him hated the fact that Sakura made him look like a weak failure, which he **_WASN'T_**. The other part absolutely resented his comment on her appearance, as if he was attracted to her, which he _definitely_ **WASN'T**.

Neji cursed his partnership with the kunoichi. _Guard her with my life… _he muttered under his breath, a repetition of Shikamaru's instruction. _This mission sucks._

A deep grumble was heard and Sakura immediately looked at the sky. Was it a _thunder_storm?

The noise gurgled again, and this time she discovered its source.

"Ahhh… I'm hungry." Naruto whined ahead of her. He was grasping his belly as his face formed a goofy look of complaint.

Sakura would've bonked him on the head if she were allowed to leave her post on the formation. Despite his physical maturity and the learning of new techniques, the baka hadn't changed much, _especially_ old habits.

The grumbling continued and the other men scoffed, choosing to ignore the blond boy's petty whining. A crinkling of tin foil was heard, followed by the zipping of a pouch compartment.

"Here." Sakura said, tossing a silver, aluminum-wrapped round object. "This should suffice for now."

With his quick reflexes, Naruto caught the item in both surprise and curiosity. Unfurling the object's shiny exterior, he blinked in pleasant surprise, and then peered at Sakura with glistening eyes.

"Sakura-chan…" he trailed off in a wobbly voice. "I will cherish this jelly-filled donut for the rest of my life."

Immediately, he ate it.

Sakura pursed her lips and threw a nut at his head.

"You're such an idiot."

He grinned his sugar-powdered fox grin at her and put his thumbs up.

"Very delicious. Is there anything you _can't_ do?"

And irritated snarl broke between their conversation.

"One thing you _both _can't do is keep the hell QUIET! An army of deaf-mutes could probably hear you guys a mile away." Neji bit. Geez. He was touchy.

Naruto's smile morphed upside down.

"Why ya gotta be so grouchy for, huh, Neji?" he asked innocently, as if a little boy wondering what he had done after breaking a valuable vase.

Neji humphed. Truth was, he _still_ didn't know why he was so bitter. But, like the stubborn Hyuuga that he was, the jounin would never let _that_ be known.

"We're on a serious mission here. This is no laughing matter. If you don't straighten up, you're going to have a heck of a lot of deaths haunting your guilty conscious."

Naruto's brashness quickly surfaced. "Well, _you're _being awfully loud as well, trying to tell us that _we're _loud." He babbled. "Why don't _you _be quiet?"

Sakura smacked her head. He was acting like a three-year-old again, and towards the worst possible person, who had no patience for his immaturity. For a blond-haired, blue-eyed sixteen-year-old who had claimed that he matured over the years, his attitude now surely wasn't proving it.

Surprisingly, Neji decided to play his game.

"I'll be quiet if you be quiet."

_This_ coming from a supposed Hyuuga GENIUS?

"Fine! I'll be quiet if YOU be quiet!" Naruto challenged back. The two were both ready to gnaw each other's heads off. Naruto narrowed his eyes and whipped his head back to the front of the formation, while Neji did the same. Sakura could not believe she was seeing and hearing this. The saying was true. Girls grew up to be women. Boys grew up to be _bigger_ boys.

Observing the two's bickering was like watching a video clip of a far memory in Sakura's mind, one that she tried so hard to push back. The way they squabbled was exactly how Naruto and Sasuke had, while they were on missions as team number seven.

Come to think of it, Neji very much reminded her of Sasuke. The way they glared, the posture of their walk, their icy cold exterior…

…except, Sakura was drooling for neither of them now. That ship sailed. Well, Sasuke's had anyway.

The kunoichi looked at Neji, his gaze averted. She actually didn't know how she felt about Neji yet. Yes, she HAD to admit, he was very good-looking, and so many things about him screamed the name Sasuke. Perhaps, that was why she partially felt a small amount of resentment towards the Hyuuga. Sasuke was the man who never looked her way twice, who never expected progress from her, who never paid any damn attention to her. She had wasted so many years as a ninja, in trying to win over his desired affection, and all she received was a smack on the back of her neck and a pathetic _thank you, _while he abandoned the village and her heart.

Now, Sakura knew that Neji wasn't like that. Sure, he had slammed her into a dirt wall, and tried to suffocate her, and insulted her in front of everyone. But Neji was a rule-abider and an honourable Konoha citizen who would never think of betraying the village. And although they had gotten off the wrong foot, he would still follow Shikamaru's orders to protect her. Neji was the same as, yet a complete opposite of Sasuke, and Sakura concluded that she would at least give the cold-eyed bastard a try, JUST because he was different from the Uchiha. _BUT_, she inwardly promised herself, _I will never get emotionally involved. _

She was an independent woman now. She needed neither the affection of a man, nor the pity of one to get her through the day.

Sakura hadn't realized that she was staring so long at Neji's face, until he turned to look back at her with a fierce glare.

"Whatever you have to say, say it already." He said calmly and coolly.

Crap, she was caught. Sakura tried to put on a tough face.

"Baka. I was looking past you, for your information. Not AT you. Give your ego a rest for once."

The kunoichi knew that it was a bit harsh and a complete lie but hey, two could play at the stubborn game.

Neji was quiet and then turned his head back to the front. Sakura half smiled as she inwardly tallied a mental score. Sakura: one; Neji: zero. She clapped with delight in her mind. This was something she was unable to do with Sasuke because she never had the guts to talk back to him, even though she knew he was an ass at times… Ok, ALL the time. Toying with Neji was, to Sakura, making up for lost time. And she loved every moment of it.

In spite of her inner victory, Sakura kept the firm demeanor plastered on her face. She decided to make her lie a truth, and actually shifted her eyes to look past him, just so that he wouldn't catch her in the future. The Hyuuga was a man of integrity and he did not appreciate lies, nor being lied to. Like Sasuke, he would tell the blunt truth if he had to, even if it meant telling a girl she was fat, or a mentally challenged man that he was stupid.

Suddenly, something caught Sakura's attention. About twenty yards past Neji's head, her trained keen eyes spotted a tree, marked with an X, directly five feet above the ground. The tree wavered a bit and then strangely disappeared. Her eyebrows squinted together in confusion. Then, abruptly, she halted; almost burning the bark of the tree branch she landed on.

"Crap…" she muttered. "No way…"

The stunned Neji stopped at his counterpart's pale face, which caused the other team members to glance behind them at the commotion.

"What?" Neji demanded at the distracted kunoichi. "You're stalling us, Haruno!"

Sakura paid no attention to him and shot her eyes up at the sky. A loud rumble was heard, and almost instantly, drops of water came spitting down, followed by a waterfall of rain.

Sakura's pink hair matted down on her head, but it didn't bother her. It wasn't as if she cared about her appearance anymore. Heck, she was dressed in a boy's shinobi outfit, and she loved it more than her red dress.

The pouring rain drenched everything it came into contact with. The ninjas' clothes draped tightly over their bodies. Dirty faces were washed, bloody wounds were cleansed, and the stain of sweat on their clothes blended with the wetness of rain. But the shinobis too, like Sakura, were concerned of far more important things than a little wetness.

Like why Sakura was peering around her like a deer caught in headlights.

The team discontinued their movement, once they caught glimpse of Sakura running into the direction of what had caught her attention.

"What the heck?" Shikamaru pondered. "Oi! Neji! I told you to guard your counterpart!"

Neji fumed. _Yeah, I'm supposed to guard her when an ENEMY attacks! Not fricken baby-sit her when she sees pretty flowers she wants to pick! _He rampaged on in his mind. He growled and decided to go after the girl. _This had better be a damn emergency, or I refuse to be her counterpart…_

Neji landed beside the kunoichi who was busily examining the X-marked tree like a madman. The Hyuuga could sense that she was in complete dismay, as if searching for something her life depended on. In seconds, the rest of the team had joined the two, all dripping wet from the storm. Shikamaru looked impatient.

"Sakura-" he began but was interrupted by the girl's panic-stricken voice.

"It's here! This is it! I've been here before!" she rapidly spoke. Neji was still in the dark.

"What are you talking about?" he said harshly. Sakura took out a kunai and traced the mark.

"I made this mark to let me know that I've past here before, to prevent me from going in circles when I was following you!" she babbled. "That was over twelve hours ago!"

That slapped the Hyuuga into interest. Actually, disbelief. He snatched the kunai out of Sakura's hand.

"You mean to tell us that we've been going in circles the whole time?"

Well that was a load of crap. There was no possible way that they could've been aimlessly wandering. He, after all had the keenest observations, while Shikamaru had the sharpest perceptions. If they were circling, surely one of them would know, right?

"It could've been another shinobi's mark, Sakura. The forest's full of them, you know." Shikamaru said, crossing his arms. Sakura knew that neither of them believed her, but her confidence did not waver. Instead of arguing, she searched around her, at both the sky and the ground. After analyzing her surroundings, she put her hands together to form jutsu seals.

_Monkey, Rat, Dog, Monkey, Snake, Rabbit, Dog, Dragon_…

"What's she doing now?" Neji questioned at the girl's movements. Females, no doubt, totally baffled him.

When she finished, she struck her palm to the ground with a powerful force.

"KAI!" she chanted.

At first, nothing happened, and the irritated shinobis made a move to leave. Just as they were assembling into their formation, the ground lit up in a perfect circle around them. The circle was gigantic, and engulfed perhaps hundreds of square miles of the forest floor. When the light dimmed, they konoha ninjas could make out jutsu characters in a distinct pattern. Instantly, the characters stirred and moved into the center of Sakura's palm, as if her hand were a vacuum sucking up the dirt on a carpet.

Sakura winced as the last of the few letters entered her palm.

When everything was sucked into the invisible vortex in the kunoichi's hand, she stood up. However, he knees gave way in weakness, and she collapsed into a heap, clasping her hand in excruciating pain. Naruto was the first to be at her side.

"What just happened!" he exclaimed.

Immediately, his surroundings rippled and then vanished, to reveal a completely different set of trees, clouds, and horizon line. To their horror, they gaped at the familiarity of the landscape, and then back at the lightheaded Sakura.

The kunoichi held up her palm to reveal the "sealed" symbol.

"Illusion chakra barrier technique." She weakly mumbled. "We're back in Konoha territory."

**Author's note: **Ooo. That was my dose of suspense for you. Left you all hanging off the cliff, didn't I? Haha, I don't mean to be cruel, it's just my bedtime now, and I haven't finished my homework. Hahaha. Well yeah, I hope that was a good chapter. Even though, most of it was Sakura's comparison between Sasuke and Neji. Thanks for reading. I'm really liking how everything is rolling. The next chapter should be up soon times.

Reviews, once again!


	8. you're my counterpart

**Author's note: **Ahh, you guys are awesome. I had such a great time laughing at all you're wonderful and amusing reviews. The story's not even halfway finished yet either. I really can't wait till this hits the big finale. I'm just as excited as you all are about the future of this fic. And I'M WRITING IT! Hahaha. Well, since this IS a Neji/Saku fic, I think now's the time I add in a lil sumpthin sumpthin between the two of them, ne? Haha, let's see where my keyboard takes me…

Enjoy!

Zarrah-chan

**You're my counterpart**

Neji froze at what the kunoichi had just informed. _What the bloody hell is going on?_

The jounin frantically searched around him. He craned his neck to the sky to see that it was midnight blue, free of clouds and bursting with twinkling lights. The storm, like the barrier, had completely vanished. Neji let out a horrified breath. The trees, the sky, the constellations… There was no doubt about the kunoichi's correctness…

They were back in Konoha forest.

The Hyuuga smashed the X-marked tree with a clenched fist, and filthily cursed in his mind. What the hell had they all been doing for the past fourteen hours? Why couldn't he sense the fricken barrier? And who could've possibly erected such an undetectable, gigantic, advanced technique?

A billion questions raced through the jounin's mind, causing him to blow a fuse. Although he had kept his stoic behavior (unwilling to ravage on like he did to Sakura), frustrated anger immensely radiated off his silver eyes.

"Dammit!" was all Neji could spit out. His head exploded with incredible fury. And to think, he had been angry enough for wasting mere minutes...

…They pretty much wasted a bloody day!

In the tense atmosphere, Naruto still didn't understand what was going on.

"I don't get it! " he exclaimed. "What do you mean we're in Konoha territory?"

If Sakura had the energy, she would've punched the guy's face to smitherines for shrieking so deafeningly in her ear. Fortunately for him, she had none, due to her dispelling of the powerful jutsu just moments prior. Instead, she decided to calmly and slowly explain the predicament.

She took a breath. _Simple words, _she muttered to herself, inhaling deeply, _So the baka can understand._

"The Illusion Chakra Barrier Technique," she began, "Is a complicated jutsu capable of taking an area and looping it together to form an endless ring of ground. The land beyond the jutsu grounds isn't visible to the person who is trapped in it. Depending on how long the user decides to keep it up, a trapped person could be traveling the same road for the rest of his life."

She took another breath.

"I hate to say this, but we've been running in circles for God knows how long. We haven't left Konoha territory."

That made Neji cringe.

"Ahh!" he grunted. "If I had summoned Byaakugan, I would've been able to spot this!"

Inwardly, he beat himself over the head a thousand times for being so careless. He couldn't remember why he called his byaakugan back in the first place.

Sakura simply shook her head.

"I don't think so."

Neji shifted his eyes on her in defense, as if being insulted by her comment. _Excuse me? Are you underestimating my capability? _Sakura sensed his irritation with her, but nevertheless, she continued.

"I've read about this technique in Tsunade's library of books. The jutsu requires a **great** amount of chakra, refined to the smallest bit of perfection. It somehow distorts the regular sound waves so outer areas are entirely shut out. Since it is so advanced, the user can easily learn to camouflage it, so that it is **completely** untraceable." Sakura stared at the Hyuuga straight in the eyes. "Even for _your_ bloodline limit to catch."

Neji's patience with the kunoichi was rapidly growing thin. She had deflated his ego once again, and quite frankly, he was tired of being trampled on…

…especially by a girl.

The Hyuuga made a move forward, hoping to prove his superiority over her, when a firm hand prevented him from lashing out. Shikamaru pulled Neji back by the shoulder, and signified his impatience with the both of them, by constricting a tighter grasp. Neji's tense shoulders dropped as he jammed his hands in his pockets, surrendering to the commander's authority.

"Be nice, Neji." Shikamaru cautioned. "Let her finish."

Sakura nodded and took another deep breath, attempting to make her dizziness disappear. All the energy she was exerting to explain was making the world around her spin.

"This technique was forbidden decades ago, but rumour spread around that the sound village had not completely destroyed the jutsu documents. That's why there was a bit of tension between the sound village and Konoha. Konoha knew that Sound would use the technique sooner or later, despite their pledge not to. It would appear that our Second Hokage was correct."

Sakura closed her eyes and breathed through her nostrils in slow gulps of air. Blood was rushing through her system too quickly for her body to handle, making her migraines intensify. The kunoichi inwardly shook her fist at her weak appearance. She had promised herself that she would never look so helpless ever again. But the colossal amount of chakra she dispelled, had, in turn, taken a lot out of her. Even the great Kakashi-sensei would have felt the after effects of breaking the technique.

Naruto put the kunoichi's head on his lap to ease the blood rush. He stroked her pink hair affectionately.

"Sakura-chan, you should take it easy. Your hand's bruising." He said.

Sakura glanced at her palm in which she had completely forgotten about. Her hand was so numb, she barely felt a thing when she lifted it. The kunoichi's fingers trembled at this gesture. Goosebumps formed on her arms as she saw the ugliness of the bruising. Rings of blue, purple, and red blotched a random pattern around the seal. The illusion chakra barrier technique was undoubtedly a powerful one, and Sakura knew that this was only the beginning of the aftereffects.

The big jackpot question now was, _Who put the barrier up?_

Sakura tried to make herself seem strong by brushing off Naruto's hand. She cleared her throat.

"Our biggest bet of the perpetrator is a Sound-nin. And by the size of the barrier, as well as how long it was put up, I'd say he or she is an extremely advanced shinobi." She informed.

Naruto scratched his chin, attempting to look intelligent. That, of course, failed miserably. They all knew he still didn't have a clue what was going on.

Shikamaru pondered the kunoichi's point.

"Makes sense…" he considered. "_Sasuke's_ location is at the Sound village. If they had somehow known we were coming for him, they probably were the ones who sent a defense ninja, who would've been the one to put up the barrier."

Neji immediately pounced out an opportunity.

"Well, the barrier's gone. If we leave now, we might be able to make it to the village in a couple of hours." He suggested. Naruto lowered his eyebrows.

"We can't leave now. Sakura-chan is sick! Plus, you're in no shape to go either. You lost a lot of chakra while fighting Sakura-chan. That's why you were instructed to call back Byaakugan, which was why you couldn't _sense_ the barrier."

Neji was struck. Despite Naruto's moronic stupidity, he had made an excellent point. And he had just reminded the Hyuuga why his bloodline ability was not called the entire time they were traveling.

Dang. Shot down by two of the most unlikeliest people…

…This was **not** Neji's day…

Naruto peered around him.

"We're in Konoha territory, right? Well, why don't we just go back to recuperate and restock on supplies? I'm sure we all are in need of it."

The fox boy's proposal was very tempting.

Shikamaru remembered the acidic pain on his massive gash from his unpleasant battle with the kunoichi. He chose to ignore it and shot his eyes up at the sky. Judging by the constellations, he could tell that Konoha village was approximately an hour (or so) away. Continuing the journey to the Sound Village on half the energy was folly and dangerously risky, in which could result in unnecessary deaths. It would seem, to the commander, that returning to Konoha _was_ their only option.

Shikamaru moved his eyes to the girl who was now aggressively shivering and clenching her eyes shut. She grasped her hand in silent agony, and the jounin could tell that she had fallen unconscious. The kunoichi was completely warn out.

Come to think of it, Shikamaru's whole team was warn out, due to the battle with Sakura, as well as their fourteen hours of wandering in circles. Even the one hour of traveling back to Konoha would wipe them utterly out of energy. They needed a good night's rest.

Shikamaru sighed.

"Ma. It can't be helped." He said, sitting down into a cross-legged position. "We'll camp here for the night. At dawn, we'll leave for Konoha to recover as well as restock." The commander stretched his muscles and unbuckled the weapon pouch from his waist.

Neji did not approve of this plan.

"We'll have wasted a whole day." He said in an angry, yet low tone. Yelling, he had discovered, did not get him very far. Plus, it would make him more and more like the Uchiha, in which he did NOT desire.

"And if we go back," he continued, "Tsunade-sama will have to file this mission as incomplete."

They all knew that failure simply wasn't an option for the Hyuuga. He wanted to get things done, and on the first try.

Shikamaru began sharpening his kunai.

"Well, it pretty much _is_ incomplete. You know as well as I do that we can't continue, not just because of Sakura. You're more exhausted than you think. Besides, Tsunade-sama would rather have us come back with all our men, then to continue, and be left with none. Leaving the mission is tough, but disregarding a teammate's safety is trash. You should know that."

That, they ALL knew, was lesson number one, back when they were fresh genins graduated from Academy school. A teammate's survival was to be valued above any mission, any day.

Neji gritted his teeth, knowing that Shikamaru was right. He glanced at Sakura's pained form. She wasn't _exactly _his teammate, since Tsunade had not allowed her to initially be on the mission. But she _was_ his counterpart, whether he liked it or not. If they had continued the journey to Sound, he would have HAD to carry the kunoichi around, and THAT he did not like.

The Hyuuga sighed, signifying that he would go with the plan. After all, if they went back, Sakura would _have _to stay behind in Konoha when they set out again. There was no way the Hokage would let her escape so easily the second time to pursue them. That thought brought a little peace into his system. _You lose some, you win some, _He mentally noted. And dropping the kunoichi was very much a win to him.

Shikamaru continued sharpening his kunai.

"Good. So it's agreed then?" he rhetorically asked. The shinobis nodded and collapsed to their rears in fatigue and relief. Neji, however, remained standing.

"Alright. We're going to have to split up the night duty." Shikamaru directed. "We'll keep it in partners. One of you stays up while the other sleeps. Every half hour, switch."

Shikamaru had not forgotten the odd pair consisting of Neji and the injured Sakura. The commander turned to the Hyuuga.

"Neji, you-"

"I'm fine." He interrupted stoically. "Sakura will need the sleep."

Shikamaru lifted an eyebrow. "You're staying up the whole night?" he curiously asked. "You were the one drained of the most chakra."

Neji inwardly flinched at this fact, but he managed to keep his face straight.

"I'm fine." He repeated, his silvery eyes unblinking at the seriousness of his intent. Shikamaru nodded and left him alone, unwilling to irritate the other jounin any more than he had been.

The commander instinctively took out a toothpick from his pouch and wedged it between his teeth in a casual manner. He pointed to Kiba and Akamaru.

"You two, I need you to gather some fire wood. We'll need as much as we can get to dry our clothes off. Naruto and Lee, I want you to set up explosive kunai around our camp to signal any intruders. Chouji and I will build shelters. Once you have completed your tasks, report back here and set up your posts anywhere you like, within the vicinity of the explosives. Try not to go off too far."

Naruto had been reluctant to leave the kunoichi alone, especially with the Hyuuga who had just attempted to strangle her hours before. However, he eventually followed the tired ninjas to do their commander's bidding, leaving Neji to stand in solitude. Inwardly, the Hyuuga shrugged his shoulders in growing annoyance. _What about me? _

Shikamaru tossed his toothpick aside. His eyes moved from Neji to Sakura, and back.

"Just watch Sakura's condition. If it worsens, call Naruto." He said, and then kissed his teeth. "How troublesome it is to have the medical expert injured…"

Shikamaru leapt into a tree and disappeared, abandoning Neji in mid-opposition. Dammit, would he be chained to the girl for the rest of his life! He was one of the strongest on the team and yet he was left with the dinkiest of all jobs. Baby-sitting a kunoichi was not he had expected from the mission, and he would definitely let it be known that he was hell pissed when they all returned.

The Hyuuga moved toward the kunoichi, whose facial expression screamed unbearable agony. Her soft face was glazed with perspiration at her struggle with the pain. Neji observed the hand she had dispelled the jutsu with and winced in repulsion. The bruising had covered her whole hand now, and had even spread to just above her wrist. _What kind of colossal power was capable of doing that? _

Although the Hyuuga was not one to show sympathy or pity, it wasn't as if he never felt it. And seeing the girl in excruciating suffering, it was all Neji could feel. After all, his father had died in the same anguish before his very eyes, years ago.

Neji squatted down beside the girl and took out a tenser bandage from his supply stored in his pouch. To his content, it had not been soaked by the rainstorm. Tenderly, he wrapped the cloth around her hand to ease the pulsing. Ahh, this girl did not deserve this, as much as he disliked her…

The jounin shifted his eyes around to secure that no one had been watching him. It was terribly out of his character to show such…affectionate care, especially for the girl who had just whooped his bum AND deflated his ego. He wouldn't want them to get the wrong impression of him. The Hyuuga had NO feelings for her **whatsoever**.

Besides, her heart was already taken by the dark and mysterious Uchiha.

Deep in the pits of his gut, he felt a tingle of envy, which he immediately tried to smother. He wasn't jealous of Sasuke, THAT WAS FOR CERTAIN. He just couldn't understand what the female population saw in that arrogant jerk. Even though Neji could barely stand the kunoichi, he knew that Sakura deserved far better than Sasuke. The Hyuuga himself would've made a better candidate to receive her heart than the Uchiha, and they all knew how likely that was to happen.

Neji shook off the topic and exterminated his thoughts. Blast it, the girl was even tormenting him in his mind _and_ while she was unconscious! Could he never escape from her torture?

Earlier, Neji had planned on carrying Sakura onto a tree for protection, but he quickly crossed out that decision. The Hyuuga wanted to limit his physical contact with the girl to a bare minimum. So instead, he left her at her spot and chose to build the shelter around her. It would take more energy exertion, but it wasn't any more than when he was trying to demolish her from his thoughts.

Before Neji made a move to collect building materials, the kunoichi stirred, stopping him in his tracks. She mumbled gibberish in between moans of pain. Then, she breathed something that caught the Hyuuga's attention.

"Neji-san…" she slurred in oblivious sleep-talk. Neji froze. _Was she dreaming about him? _

For a while, Neji didn't move, hoping it was his imagination. Then, after a few moments, she spoke again.

"Neji-san…" she mumbled. "…Gomen ne…"

Ahh. So she _wasn't_ sleeping.

Neji stayed in his crouched position, unsure of what to say. Despite his uncertainty, he responded in a monotone bored voice.

"Nani?" he asked. Hey, it was the only thing he could think of.

The kunoichi's breathing deepened, as sweat drops rolled down her temples. She let out a laboured chuckle, attempting to lighten the mood.

"I'm sorry… I must look very weak right now."

If Neji were his usual blunt self, he would've easily replied _Of course. You're a girl. _Strangely enough, he didn't.

"Forget about it." His mouth retorted before his mind could think. "Get some rest."

It was as if his mouth had a mind entirely of its own, as he did not plan to say what he did. It made him sound terribly… nice. A total contrast of his icy demeanor.

Surprisingly enough, Sakura just forced a smile.

"Ahh…" she sighed before falling into the patterned breathing of deep slumber, leaving Neji completely speechless. This girl had to be the most bizarre female he had ever met in his life. One moment, she was a fierce warrior, incapable of surrendering to the likes of a man… The next, she was as yielding as a wife to her beckoning husband.

Neji examined her character. She was indeed a complex girl, with many ranging emotions and expressions. The only expressions _he_ ever displayed were anger and bitterness. The Hyuuga oddly found himself drawn to her spark of life that made her simply Sakura. Not attraction, mind you, but rather… curiosity. She had a warm aura that had an unexplained magnetic force on him. But of course, that was to NEVER be discovered. Ever.

The Hyuuga was entranced by the pattern of her paced breathing. She was in pain, and yet she carried such a melodic sound to her sleep. Neji sat down and leaned his back on the X-marked tree beside her. He hadn't fully realized how exhausted he was until his muscles were relaxed, unfurling its tension. How much energy DID she take from him?

It suddenly occurred to the jounin that he was incredibly sleepy as well. The result from more than 48 hours of consciousness was not pleasant on his silvery eyes and left heavy bags underneath them. He wondered how long he could last, and inwardly regretted agreeing to stay up on night duty.

Neji shook off the coming drowsiness and returned his gaze towards the kunoichi, trying to ignore the temptation of sleep. _At least she doesn't snore… _he thought. Actually, she barely made any noise, with the exception of the occasional groan when her bruise was accidentally punctured in her movements. Despite her injury, she slept rather peacefully…almost… enjoyable.

The back of Neji's head met the tree bark in his silent admiration of her tranquil form. She really was very pretty, in a different way than the show-offs like her friend Ino. Haruno's attractiveness was more of a simpler beauty… like the cherry blossom itself. But the Hyuuga liked that far better than Ino, that seductress devil. He shuddered once more. The blond was NOT a pleasant thought.

A few moments later, Neji found himself in a struggling fight against sleep. How he had ever managed to stay awake before, he had no clue. The Hyuuga moved restlessly to prevent himself from dozing off. He stared enviously at Sakura. The girl was robbing him of his much-needed slumber… And she was taunting him.

Neji blinked his burning eyes. It was nearly impossible to keep them open any longer. Slowly, but surely, his eyelids lowered in extreme heaviness. _Just a few minutes… _He reminded himself. _I'm just resting my eyes._

Soon, sleep overtook him, and he found himself wandering in the thoughts of the cherry blossom next to him.

Something stirred that jolted Neji to consciousness. He shot his eyes open with a start and instinctively reached for the kunai in his pouch.

A bandaged hand grabbed his.

"Relax. It's only me."

Neji found himself staring into a pair of emerald eyes and blush hair. He let out a breath. It was only Sakura. My God, what was she trying to do, kill him with a heart attack?

He let himself catch his breath. _How long was I sleeping? _

Sakura read his thoughts.

"I let you sleep for an hour. You looked like you needed the rest." She said, releasing her grip on him. That surprised him. _You **let** me?_

His eyes moved to her hand wrapped in bandages and she immediately recoiled it, as if touching fire.

"I'm better now. Thanks." She said, stroking her hand. The Hyuuga raised his eyebrows as if to silently ask _Are you sure? _

The kunoichi smiled. "I _am _a medical ninja, mind you." She reassured. Neji nodded and then sat up. He'd been sleeping for an hour and yet he still felt drained of energy and chakra. He'd never felt so weak in his entire life.

The Hyuuga tried to brush it off.

"I've had my rest now." He said, clearing his throat. "You should get yours."

Sakura shook her head and got up to sit beside him. "Can't sleep."

Neji observed the girl's movements with the corner of his eye. He felt it strange to have her sit so close to him, especially from her own free will. The Hyuuga could see that she was fully staring at him, as if examining his thoughts.

"I know this jutsu," she informed matter-of-factly, "It might help with your chakra shortage."

Neji made no gestures to protest. He was enticed.

Sakura put a hand on his shoulder and immediately, he flinched. She retracted her hand.

"It won't hurt, I promise."

Why she was so tempting, the Hyuuga had no idea.

Sakura put her palm on the arch of his back and pushed it in a little. It was almost the same position she had to use on her male patients in the hospital, and normally she hated having to perform the technique. This time, however, she didn't mind at all, and it baffled her a little.

"Your muscles are so tense." She sighed. "Loosen them up a bit."

It was a bit awkward for Neji, and it took him a while to follow her simple directions. Unfortunately for her, 'loosening up' was something he did not do often.

After a while of pointless attempts, the kunoichi got on her knees to concentrate a little harder.

"It might help if you leaned back on my knee." She instructed. Uncomfortably, the Hyuuga shifted his back away from the tree to give the girl some room behind her, all while eying her in suspicion. Just what was she up to?

Neji let his lean muscular back rest on Sakura's elevated knee, unable to figure out why he was so willingly doing as she asked. Although his eyes were averted, his keen sensing could feel the kunoichi forming quick hand seals. When she had finished, she placed her hand on his back, right between the two shoulder blades, and pushed lightly.

As if a river flowing down a path, Neji felt the soothing aura of chakra, streaming into his system. The sensation was so utterly relaxing, the Hyuuga had almost forgotten to breathe. He had no idea what she was doing, but his inwardly pleaded for her not to stop.

Sakura sensed his satisfaction.

"I'm doing a chakra transplant." She notified. "I'm sending some of my chakra directly into your system."

Neji was struck by this. Why was she doing all that?… Moreover, why for _him_?

The jounin couldn't understand why, but he became strangely angry. Perhaps it was because she was slowly chiseling her way through his stubborn wall around his heart so easily. No person ever regarded him with so much care. Not since his father was alive…

Sakura continued the transplant in silence, contemplating on what to say next. As an aggressive, confident girl, she always knew what to say at all times, however, at this particular moment, she was speechless. It was an awkward moment for the two of them, but at the same time, it felt normal. Both wondering what the other was thinking at that meticulous time.

Then Sakura cleared her throat.

"Look, if we're going to be counterparts, we might as well be accountable for one another, right?"

Neji said nothing, but inwardly agreed. Perhaps it was time that he trusted someone a little more. And Sakura was becoming a more perfect candidate each time.

"So," she exhaled. "Tell me. What does Hyuuga Neji fear most?"

Neji jumped at how quickly she changed topics. A little openness he could handle. Now she was just being nosy.

"I fear nothing." He simply said. _What a useless question._

Sakura rolled her eyes. This was a typical answer from someone as stubborn as an Uchiha. Petty boys always thought they were so macho…

The kunoichi completed her jutsu and dusted off the tingling in her hands. She sat cross-legged next to him and stared at his profile.

"Please. That was a total Sasuke answer." She scoffed, hitting a nerve on the Hyuuga. "Shikamaru told us to learn about each other, and that's what I'm doing. Everyone has a fear. I'm asking you what yours is."

This girl definitely knew how to grab the bull by its balls. Or so the saying went.

Neji cringed. What WAS it about this girl? And why did he suddenly feel an obligation to answer her question? The great Hyuuga Neji feared nothing! Fear was not in his genius vocabulary!

"Being lonely." He replied, too quickly to take back. Dammit, his mouth had run off again!

"I fear being alone."

Now THAT was unexpected.

Sakura analyzed his face, which, for a split second, looked sad. The all-powerful Hyuuga Neji feared isolation?

The kunoichi sighed and got up. That would enough torture on the poor guy for one day. She needn't hear more. She had already cracked some information that probably NOBODY knew, and in that she felt honoured.

Neji watched in confusion as Sakura dusted off her rear and headed behind the tree.

"I'm getting a drink in the stream over there. I'll be right back." She assured.

Before she could take another step, the Hyuuga spoke.

"Wait." He called. It sounded odd that a beckoning would come from his mouth. Nevertheless, he continued. "You never told me your fear."

Sakura paused a moment, pondering. Actually, she had never thought about fear. Probably because the list was too large for him to grasp. However, there was one that scared her more than anything in life.

"Dying without a cause." She simply replied.

She turned her back and resumed her trail towards the stream, not giving him any opportunity to ask questions. The kunoichi knew he was pondering it well, and decided to leave it at that. Neither of them needed explanations. It was a mutual understanding.

Neji watched as pink hair danced into the distance of the moonlight breeze. She was a strange girl, no doubt. But the oddity of the circumstance was that he liked her company. It felt as natural as his byaakugan summoning. He never thought he'd see her in such a different light.

But after their conversation, he didn't see how he couldn't.

**Chapter 9 Preview: **

Neji breathed a silent sigh of relief when he saw the pink-haired kunoichi returning from her drink. It began to worry him when she had taken a bit longer than expected. But he tried to brush it off. Nothing was supposed to worry the Hyuuga.

The kunoichi smiled as she saw him and wiped her dew-stained lips.

"Sorry, it took so long." She panted. "The water was so refreshing."

Suddenly, the Hyuuga sprang forth and slammed the kunoichi face flat onto the bark of the X-marked tree. He wrestled her arms back so that she could not use them in defense. The girl squirmed beneath his body.

"Neji! What the hell is wrong with you!" she gasped for air through pressed nostrils on the tree. Neji slammed her harder on the rough trunk.

"Where's the girl!" he demanded. Sakura writhed in denial.

"I don't know-"

"Where's the girl!" he asked again, digging her pale face into the tree.

Instantly, the slender figure melted, and the Hyuuga had in his grasp, a tall man, wrapped in bandages with the Sound Village crest embedded on his forehead protector. The stranger chuckled in between pursed lips.

"How did you know?" he asked.

Neji angrily dug his knee into the curve of the man's back while clawing at his left arm.

"Because." He sneered. I put the bandage on her RIGHT arm, genius."

**Author's note: **Wow. That was, by far, the longest chapter I've ever written in the span of one night. Whew. I'm exhausted. Ok, well without further ado, I shall leave you all pondering on the future events to come! Stay tuned!

REVIEW!


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